polícia
/puˈli.sjɐ/feminine
The English phrase 'police' is translated into Portuguese as polícia.
polícia refers to a local or general law enforcement agency. To refer to an individual officer, use the word policial.
Meaning: local or general law enforcement agency (noun)
Which one should you use?
polícia is used to name the institution or agency, whereas policial is the term for a single person working in the force.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, the slang expression o tira is used to mean 'cop' or 'detective'.
How does it change in a sentence?
polícia is a feminine noun and requires feminine articles such as a or da.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables with the stress on the 2nd syllable: /puˈli.sjɐ/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
In English, 'police' is a collective plural, but in Portuguese, polícia is a singular noun and should be used with singular verbs.
When do people say it?
When addressing police officers, it is common to use senhor as a way to show respect.
Did you know?
- In Brazil, the term polícia is often divided into two distinct forces: the Polícia Militar, which handles patrolling and prevention, and the Polícia Civil, which handles investigations.
- The word polícia shares a root with the English word 'politics' and the Ancient Greek word pólis, meaning 'city'.
- In Portuguese, the phrase chamar a polícia can be used figuratively to describe someone who is acting as a 'tattletale' or reporting a minor rule break.
Examples in context
- Eu fui à polícia.I went to the police.This sentence shows how to use polícia when stating you went to the police.Tatoeba #7360577 by Ricardo14, translation #2547894 by CK
- Eu chamei a polícia.I called the police.This sentence demonstrates using polícia when you have called the police.Tatoeba #4870085 by bill, translation #3732712 by CK
- Já chamei a polícia.I've already called the police.This sentence uses polícia to express that the police have already been called.Tatoeba #6310504 by carlosalberto, translation #2358912 by CK
- Eu preciso chamar a políciaI need to call the police
- A polícia nacional está investigando o crimeThe national police are investigating the crime
- Cuidado, a cana está vindo!Be careful, the police are coming!
- Meu pai é tira, ele trabalha na políciaMy dad is a cop, he works in the police
- Recebemos a visita da polícia na escola hoje.We received a visit from the police at school today.
- Estou chamando a polícia para relatar o roubo.I am calling the police to report the robbery.
- Deixa eu te contar: o tira prendeu o ladrão!Let me tell you: the cop arrested the thief!
- 438 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Juliana are walking down a street at night.
- JulianaLucas, você viu aquela viatura da polícia?Lucas, did you see that police car?
- LucasSim, Juliana, parece que há um problema.Yes, Juliana, it looks like there is a problem.
- JulianaSerá que a polícia vai fechar a rua?Do you think the police will close the street?
- LucasÉ muito provável que sim.It is very likely.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police” translations and entries polícia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries polícia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
