Which one should you use?
The choice between forms depends on whether you are talking about the organization or the people. Use la policía to refer to the police as a collective entity or institution. Use los policías when you want to refer specifically to the individual officers.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
La policía is a neutral term suitable for both formal and informal contexts. In contrast, oficiales de la ley is a slightly more formal way to refer to law enforcement officers.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Chile and El Salvador, the slang term pacos is used to refer to cops.
How does it change in a sentence?
Although the English word cops is plural, the Spanish phrase la policía is a singular noun phrase used to refer to the police force or the police in general. To refer to the individual members of the force, use the masculine plural form los policías.
How do you pronounce it?
/la poliθia/
Did you know?
- The word policía shares a common ancestor with the English word 'politics', as both derive from the Ancient Greek word 'politeia' relating to the management of a city or state.
- If you are in Chile, calling a police officer a paco can be seen as a heavy insult, whereas the English word 'cops' is often seen as much more neutral.
- In some Latin American regions, people use the term la ley meaning 'the law' to refer to the police, as in the phrase ya llegó la ley.
Examples in context
- Llama a la Policía.Call the cops.This sentence is useful for practicing how to tell someone to call the police using la policía.Tatoeba #2975758 by marcelostockle, translation #2245027 by CK
- Deberías haber llamado a la policía.You should've called the cops.This sentence shows how to express regret about not calling the police using la policía.Tatoeba #3756305 by Shishir, translation #3372941 by CK
- Sangrando de su meñique, la ninfómana inició una persecución con la policía en una balsa robada.Bleeding from her little finger, the nymphomaniac started a hot pursuit with the cops on a stolen raft.This sentence demonstrates a context involving a pursuit with la policía.Tatoeba #2849018 by cueyayotl, translation #607503 by Scott
- Los agentes de policía se encargaron de la situaciónThe police officers took care of the situation
- Los oficiales de la ley detuvieron al sospechosoThe law enforcement officers arrested the suspect
- Los policías atraparon al ladrón en el actoThe cops caught the thief in the act
- Los agentes de policía aseguraron la escena del crimen.The police officers secured the crime scene.
- La colaboración ciudadana es fundamental para ayudar a los oficiales de la ley.Citizen collaboration is essential to help law enforcement officers.
- Los policías atraparon al ladrón en tiempo récord.The cops caught the thief in record time.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are walking in the park when they see a patrol car.
- JavierMira, allí viene la policía.Look, there comes the police.
- Lucía¿Por qué vienen hacia aquí?Why are they coming towards here?
- JavierNo lo sé, pero no te preocupes.I don't know, but don't worry.
- LucíaEstá bien, sigamos caminando.Okay, let's keep walking.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries la, policía, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
