denuncia
/deˈnun.t͡ʃa/
The English phrase 'police report' is translated into Italian as denuncia.
denuncia refers to a formal statement made to the authorities to report a crime or an incident. While it is the standard term for a police report, it is also the common word used for a legal complaint or a formal accusation. For example, you might see the phrase denuncia di furto used specifically to mean a 'report of theft'. To say the verb 'to file a police report', use the verbal phrase sporgere denuncia.
How does it change in a sentence?
denuncia is a feminine noun. Its plural form is denunce.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable: /deˈnun.tʃa/.
Did you know?
- The word denuncia can also be used in a non-criminal context to refer to a formal notification, such as a denuncia di nascita to report a birth to the civil registry.
- The verb used to file a report, sporgere, literally means 'to protrude' or 'to stick out'.
- The term denuncia shares a root with the English word 'denounce', which carries a much more aggressive and public social connotation than the neutral Italian term.
Examples in context
- Ho bisogno di fare una denuncia per furtoI need to file a police report for theft
- Ho bisogno di redigere un verbale per l'incidente stradaleI need to write a police report for the car accident
- Devo fare una querela per il furto della mia biciI need to file a police report for the theft of my bike
- Devo fare una denuncia per il furto.I need to file a police report for the theft.
- Hai già presentato la denuncia ai carabinieri?Have you already filed the police report with the carabinieri?
- La denuncia è stata registrata correttamente.The police report was recorded correctly.
Example conversation
Martina and Alessandro are talking at home about a stolen bicycle.
- MartinaAlessandro, hanno rubato la mia bicicletta!Alessandro, they stole my bicycle!
- AlessandroMi dispiace molto, Martina. Devi fare una denuncia.I am very sorry, Martina. You must file a police report.
- MartinaHai ragione, andrò subito in caserma.You are right, I will go to the police station immediately.
- AlessandroSe hai bisogno, ti accompagno io.If you need anything, I will accompany you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry denuncia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries denuncia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
