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"Police officer" is a noun which is often translated as "el/la policía", and "police" is a noun which is often translated as "la policía". Learn more about the difference between "police officer" and "police" below.
police officer(
puh
-
lis
 
a
-
fih
-
suhr
)
A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
noun
a. el policía
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
(M)
, la policía
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
(F)
That young woman wants to be a police officer to help protect her community from violence.Esa jovencita quiere ser policía para ayudar a proteger su comunidad contra la violencia.
b. el oficial de policía
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
(M)
, la oficial de policía
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
(F)
My neighbor is a police officer, and his patrol car is always parked in front of his house.Mi vecino es oficial de policía y su coche patrulla siempre está parqueado frente a su casa.
c. el agente de policía
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
(M)
, la agente de policía
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
(F)
A police officer was injured yesterday when the thief he was chasing fired a gun.Un agente de policía fue herido ayer cuando el ladrón al que perseguía disparó un arma.
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police(
puh
-
lis
)
A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
noun
a. la policía
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
(F)
The police is performing random checks on anyone with a large bag.La policía está haciendo registros al azar a cualquiera que tenga un bolso grande.
A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
transitive verb
a. patrullar
The officers have been policing the city.Los agentes han estado patrullando la ciudad.
b. vigilar
The coast is policed by the military.La costa está vigilada por el ejército.
c. vigilar el cumplimiento de
The UN is in charge of policing the ceasefire.La ONU se encarga de vigilar el cumplimiento del alto al fuego.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Media Group, Inc.