police
/pɔ.lis/feminine
The English phrase 'police' is translated into French as police.
The word police refers to a local or general law enforcement agency.
Meaning: local or general law enforcement agency (noun)
Which one should you use?
While la police refers to the municipal or civilian police force, la gendarmerie is the term used for the law enforcement agency with military status that operates in rural areas and smaller towns.
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, police is a singular feminine noun. Because it is singular, it takes a singular verb form even when referring to a group of people.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɔ.lis/ (two syllables)
Did you know?
- In French, police refers not only to law enforcement but also to the 'font' or style of text used in printing and typography.
- The word police is a 'faux ami' or false friend in some contexts, as it can also mean 'policy' or 'insurance' in specific professional jargon related to the Italian 'polizza'.
- The term police can also refer to 'policing' or 'administration' in a much broader, non-criminal sense, such as 'la police des eaux' which refers to water resource management.
Examples in context
- La police est là.The police are here.This sentence shows how to use police to indicate presence.Tatoeba #4579657 by sacredceltic, translation #3434460 by CK
- Où est la police ?Where are the police?This sentence shows how to ask for the location of the police.Tatoeba #7967449 by Aiji, translation #2547471 by CK
- La police était là.The police were here.This sentence demonstrates the use of police in the past tense.Tatoeba #4579658 by sacredceltic, translation #3434343 by CK
- J'ai dû appeler la police pour signaler l'incident.I had to call the police to report the incident.
- J'ai vu les flics arrêter le voleur dans la rue.I saw the police officers arrest the thief in the street.
- Les keufs ont fait une descente dans la boîte de nuit hier soir.The cops raided the nightclub last night.
- 677 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are walking down a street after witnessing a car accident.
- ChloéOn doit appeler la police.We have to call the police.
- NathanJe m'en occupe tout de suite.I'll take care of it right away.
- ChloéRegarde, la police arrive déjà.Look, the police are already arriving.
- NathanC'est rapide, heureusement.That's fast, fortunately.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police” translations and entries police, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries police, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
