Today’s Spanish word of the day is “policía”.
It’s a feminine noun meaning “police”. It can also mean “police officer”, in which case it can be masculine or feminine depending on the gender of the police officer you’re referring to.
Like in English, there are a lot of slang words for the police, some of which are specific to particular countries, while others are more widely used. If you ever watch crime dramas in Spanish, you’re likely to hear a few of these terms! Here are some examples:
- La poli – A shortened version of “la policía”, this is probably the most widely understood slang term for the police in the Spanish-speaking world.
- Los tiras or La tira – These terms are used in a few different countries including Mexico and Peru.
- La chota – This is common in Mexico.
- Los pacos – This term comes from Chile.
- La cana – This Argentinian word can refer to both the police and prison.
Like the English word “police”, the word “policía” derives from Latin politia, meaning “civil administration”, which in turn came from Greek polis, meaning “city”.
Example sentences
¿Has hablado con la policía sobre el robo?
Have you spoken with the police about the robbery?
La policía está investigando el caso.
The police are investigating the case.
Mi hermano trabaja como policía en la ciudad.
My brother works as a police officer in the city.
El policía nos indicó un atajo para llegar al museo.
The police officer showed us a shortcut to get to the museum.
La comisaría de policía está cerrada los domingos.
The police station is closed on Sundays.
