politi
neuter
politi is the Norwegian word for police.
politi is the general term for the police in Norwegian, referring to the law enforcement agency or force.
Meaning: local or general law enforcement agency (noun)
Which one should you use?
While politi is the indefinite form, politiet is the definite form used to refer to 'the police' as a specific force or as a general entity. When you are talking about calling 'the police' to a scene, you almost always use the definite form politiet rather than the indefinite politi.
How does it change in a sentence?
politi is a neuter noun. The definite form is politiet, which is used when referring to a specific police force or 'the police' in general.
Did you know?
- In Norway, you might hear someone use the slang term snuten to refer to the police. While it is common in movies or books, using it in person can sound quite aggressive or disrespectful.
- The word politi is a cognate of the English 'police', both deriving from the Greek word politeia, which originally referred to the administration of a city-state.
- In Norway, the politi are not only law enforcement but are traditionally tasked with administrative duties, such as issuing passports and handling certain civil permits.
Examples in context
- Blir politiet å koma?Will the police come?This sentence shows how to ask if the politi will arrive.Tatoeba #12491198 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #426427 by CM
- Har du ringt politiet?Have you called the police?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has called the politi.Tatoeba #5280665 by Meggie, translation #4013698 by CK
- Vi bør ringe politiet.We'd better call the police.This sentence is useful for suggesting that one should call the politi.Tatoeba #14048244 by Mayk, translation #262980 by CK
- Jeg ringte politietI called the police
- Hei, kan jeg snakke med politiet?Hi, can I speak with the police?
- Det var en betjent som hjalp meg på gaten.There was a police officer who helped me on the street.
- 77 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Jakob are walking down a street when they see a police car.
- EmmaSe, der kommer politiet!Look, here comes the police!
- JakobSkjedde det noe her?Did something happen here?
- EmmaJeg vet ikke, men politiet ser travle ut.I don't know, but the police look busy.
- JakobVi får bare gå videre.We should just keep walking.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police” translations and entries politi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
