commissariat de police
masculine
The English phrase police station is translated into French as commissariat de police. Wiktionary also lists office de police and poste de police.
Meaning: building of police force (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| commissariat de police | masculine | |
| office de police | Louisiana, feminine | |
| poste de police | /pɔs.t(ə) də pɔ.lis/ | masculine |
| bureau de police | masculine | |
| hôtel de police | masculine |
All these terms refer to a building used by a police force.
Which one should you use?
commissariat de police is the standard term for a central police station or headquarters, while poste de police is commonly used for smaller, local police stations or outposts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
office de police is a regionalism used in Louisiana French.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because poste de police is masculine, you use the contraction au (a combination of à and le) when saying 'to the police station', resulting in au poste de police.
Did you know?
- The term hôtel de police is an older, more formal way to refer to a police station, similar to how an 'hôtel de ville' is a city hall.
- The word police shares an ancient root with the English word 'politics', both descending from the Greek 'politeia', which refers to the affairs of a city or state.
- While poste de police is used for small stations, the word poste also means 'post office' in French, which can cause confusion for beginners when hearing la poste.
Examples in context
- Où se trouve le poste de police ?Where is the police station?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of the poste de police.Tatoeba #1342432 by sacredceltic, translation #238250 by CK
- Demandez au poste de police là-bas.Ask at the police station over there.This sentence is useful for directing someone to ask at the poste de police.Tatoeba #799579 by U2FS, translation #1584073 by CK
- Je dois me rendre au poste de police.I have to go to the police station.This sentence is useful for expressing a necessity to go to the poste de police.Tatoeba #1365174 by sacredceltic, translation #238191 by CK
- Où est le commissariat de police le plus proche?Where is the nearest police station?
- J'ai vu Pierre sortir du commissariat tout à l'heureI saw Pierre coming out of the police station earlier
- J'ai entendu dire qu'ils vont fermer le poste de police du quartierI heard they're going to close the neighborhood police station
- Le commissariat de police est ouvert 24 heures sur 24.The police station is open 24 hours a day.
- Je suis allé au poste de police pour signaler le vol.I went to the police station to report the theft.
- Le commissariat est situé au bout de cette rue.The police station is located at the end of this street.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are walking in the city.
- NathanEst-ce que le commissariat de police est loin d'ici ?Is the police station far from here?
- ManonNon, il est juste au bout de la rue.No, it is just at the end of the street.
- NathanMerci, je dois y aller rapidement.Thank you, I have to go there quickly.
- ManonBon courage, Nathan.Good luck, Nathan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police station” translations and entries poste de police, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries commissariat, de, office, police, poste, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
