How to Say "Officer" in Portuguese

oficial

/o.fi.siˈaw/

The English word "officer" translates to Portuguese as oficial.

The term oficial is used as a respectful way to address or refer to an officer, particularly within a police context.

Meaning: a respectful term of address for an officer, especially a police officer (noun)

How does it change in a sentence?

When referring to the rank or role generally, it is used for both masculine and feminine officers. The plural form of oficial is oficiais.

The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 4th syllable: /o.fi.siˈaw/.

In Brazilian Portuguese, oficial can be used as a slang adjective to emphasize that something is definitely true, similar to saying 'for sure' in English.
In many Portuguese-speaking countries, calling a police officer oficial can sound overly formal or even cinematic, like something from a dubbed Hollywood movie.
In a legal context, oficial de justiça is a specific role similar to a bailiff or process server who delivers court summons.

Tom parece ser um oficial.
Tom seems to be an officer.
This sentence is useful for showing how to use oficial to describe someone's appearance or status.
Tatoeba #11217583 by Advanced, translation #7117380 by CM
Um oficial chegará em breve.
An officer will be there soon.
This sentence is useful for illustrating the use of oficial when discussing arrival times.
Tatoeba #13637204 by Advanced, translation #11631987 by Amastan
Você ainda quer ser um oficial?
Do you still want to be an officer?
This sentence is useful for using oficial when discussing career aspirations.
Tatoeba #7288406 by Ricardo14, translation #2090868 by CK
7 more sentences on Tatoeba

Juliana is stopped by a police officer for a traffic check.

Gabriel

Bom dia, oficial. Aqui estão os meus documentos.
Good morning, officer. Here are my documents.
Juliana

Obrigada, Gabriel. Por favor, aguarde um momento.
Thank you, Gabriel. Please wait a moment.
Gabriel

Está tudo certo, oficial?
Is everything okay, officer?
Juliana

Sim, pode seguir viagem. Tenha um bom dia.
Yes, you may continue your trip. Have a good day.

Sources

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