policía
/poliˈθia/feminine, masculine
The English phrase 'police officer' is translated into Spanish as policía. Wiktionary also lists agente and agente de policía.
Meaning: peace officer who is a member of a police force (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| policía | /poliˈθia/ /poliˈsia/ |
feminine, masculine |
| agente | /aˈxente/ | feminine, masculine |
| agente de policía | /aˌxente de poliˈθia/ /aˌxente de poliˈsia/ |
feminine, masculine |
| shafo | /safo/ (from spelling rules) | Argentina, masculine |
| oficial policial | /ofiθjal poliθjal/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /ofisjal polisjal/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
feminine, masculine |
| oficial policíaco | /ofiθjal poliθiako/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /ofisjal polisiako/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine |
| oficial policiaco | /ofiθjal poliθjako/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /ofisjal polisjako/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine |
The term refers to a peace officer who is a member of a police force.
Which one should you use?
In contrast, agente, agente de policía and oficial policial are other ways to denote the profession. The forms oficial policíaco and oficial policiaco are masculine-only terms.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the slang term shafo is used to mean 'cop'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used with the feminine article la, la policía refers to the police force as an institution. When referring to a single individual officer, use an indefinite article or a possessive with policía.
How do you pronounce it?
/poliˈθia/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using policía to mean the entire police force in all contexts. If you are referring to the institution, use la policía.
Did you know?
- In Spain, a common slang term for a police officer is madero, which literally means 'piece of wood'.
- The word policía shares the same Greek root as 'politics', both deriving from 'politeia' which relates to the administration of a city or state.
- In some Caribbean regions, you might hear the term la ley (the law) used as a slang nickname for a police officer.
Examples in context
- Ella se hizo policía.She became a police officer.This sentence describes someone joining the force using policía.Tatoeba #8814117 by arh, translation #761681 by CK
- Soy oficial de policía.I'm a police officer.This sentence shows how to state one's profession using policía.Tatoeba #2090155 by Shishir, translation #1934826 by Spamster
- El policía mostró su placa.The police officer flashed his badge.This sentence illustrates the use of policía when describing an officer's action.Tatoeba #10490180 by Seael, translation #3431066 by CK
- Ella es policíaShe is a police officer
- Los policías están en la estaciónThe police officers are at the station
- Necesito hablar con un agente de policíaI need to speak with a police officer
- El oficial de policía está investigando el casoThe police officer is investigating the case
- La poli vino a resolver el problemaThe cop came to solve the problem
- Los policías municipales patrullan por el vecindarioThe local police officers patrol the neighborhood
- El policía me ayudó a cruzar la calleThe police officer helped me cross the street
- ¡La poli atrapó al ladrón!The cop caught the thief!
- Los policías municipales realizan un gran trabajo en esta ciudadThe local police officers do a great job in this city
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are walking in a park when they see a patrol car.
- DanielMira, allí viene un policía.Look, there comes a police officer.
- SofíaParece que la policía está patrullando el parque.It looks like the police are patrolling the park.
- DanielEse policía es muy amable con la gente.That police officer is very kind to people.
- SofíaSí, es un buen policía.Yes, he is a good police officer.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police officer” translations and entries policía, agente, agente de policía, shafo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agente, de, policía, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
