la policía
neutral, Mexico
In Mexico the police are la policía. A single male officer is un policía, a female officer is una mujer policía or una policía, and friends may say poli casually. It is also called el policía.
Meaning: law enforcement officers (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mexican | Note |
|---|---|
| la policía | neutral, Mexico |
| poli | casual |
| el policía | one officer |
Use la policía for the force and los policías for the officers. A police car is called una patrulla in Mexico.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Mexico has several kinds of police, such as la policía municipal, la policía estatal and la Guardia Nacional. People often name the type when they talk about a particular officer.
How does it change in a sentence?
El policía is the man and la policía is either the woman or the whole force, so the sentence has to make the meaning clear.
Did you know?
- In Mexico a police car is una patrulla, and the same word can also mean the whole patrol unit.
Examples in context
- Llamaron a la policía.They called the police.
- Una patrulla está en la esquina.A police car is on the corner.
- El policía me pidió los papeles.The officer asked me for my papers.
Example conversation
Don Raúl reports a lost wallet to an officer at a street corner in Monterrey.
- Don RaúlOficial, perdí mi cartera.Officer, I lost my wallet.
- Policía¿Dónde la perdió?Where did you lose it?
- Don RaúlCreo que en el mercado.I think at the market.
