coche de policía
/kot͡ʃe de poliθia/from spelling rules
The English phrase "police car" is coche de policía in Spanish.
coche de policía refers to an automobile used by a police officer. It is important to distinguish the vehicle itself from la policía, which refers to the police institution or the officers themselves.
Meaning: automobile used by a police officer (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase coche de policía is composed of coche (car), de (of) and policía (police).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin America, several variations exist. Radio Patrulla refers specifically to a police car equipped with a two-way radio. Patrullero is a variation used in various Latin American countries, especially in the Southern Cone, to refer to marked police cars or those involved in patrolling duties. In many Spanish-speaking countries, the word patrulla is also frequently used to refer to a police car or patrol vehicle.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, you pluralize the noun coche to coches while keeping the rest of the phrase constant, resulting in coches de policía.
How do you pronounce it?
/kotʃe de poliθia/
Did you know?
- The word coche used for car has an unexpected connection to a small Hungarian village named Kocs, where innovative horse-drawn carriages were first produced in the 15th century.
- The word policía comes from the Ancient Greek word politeía, which originally referred to the administration of a city-state rather than a law enforcement agency.
- While coche is standard in Spain, using it in some parts of Latin America may sound overly European, as local speakers prefer carro or auto.
Examples in context
- Necesito un coche de policía.I need a police car.This sentence is useful for expressing a need for a police car.Tatoeba #1297972 by marcelostockle, translation #35134 by CK
- Un coche de policía ha parado en un lado de la carretera.A police car has stopped on the side of the road.This sentence is useful for describing a police car that has stopped on the side of a road.Tatoeba #1696597 by teskmon, translation #1223474 by CK
- Cuando vi el coche de policía, supe que algo había ocurrido.When I saw the police car, I knew something had happened.
- La persecución terminó cuando el delincuente chocó contra el auto de la policía.The pursuit ended when the criminal crashed into the police car.
- Ayer me detuvo una patrulla por exceso de velocidad.Yesterday, a police car pulled me over for speeding.
- Escuché por la radio que la radio patrulla estaba cerca del lugar del incidente.I heard on the radio that the police car was close to the scene of the incident.
- Vi un coche patrulla en la plaza mayor.I saw a police car in the main square.
- Los patrulleros recorren las calles durante toda la noche.The police cars patrol the streets all through the night.
- El coche de policía está frente a la estación.The police car is in front of the station.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Mateo are walking on the street.
- María¿Ves ese coche de policía, Mateo?Do you see that police car, Mateo?
- MateoSí, María, parece que hay una emergencia.Yes, María, it looks like there is an emergency.
- MaríaEl coche de policía va muy rápido.The police car is going very fast.
- MateoEs normal en situaciones así.It is normal in situations like that.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries coche, de, policía, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
