der Cop
cop
An informal term for a police officer.
EXAMPLE
Der Cop kontrollierte unseren Ausweis und ließ uns dann weitergehen.
The cop checked our ID and then let us continue on our way.
der Cop
cop
der Cop, die Cops
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Cop, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Cops |
| genitive | des Cops |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Cop | die Cops |
| accusative | den Cop | die Cops |
| dative | dem Cop | den Cops |
| genitive | des Cops | der Cops |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Typical context
'Cop' is especially common in crime stories, action films, and stories about the USA. In these contexts, the word is also used in German texts.
EXAMPLE
In dem Film verfolgt ein New Yorker Cop eine gefährliche Bande.
In the film, a New York cop pursues a dangerous gang.
Typical collocations
Common collocations include 'ein Cop in Uniform' (a cop in uniform) and 'ein Cop in Zivil' (a plainclothes cop). 'In Zivil' means here that the person is wearing regular clothes instead of a uniform.
EXAMPLE
Vor dem Eingang stand ein Cop in Zivil und beobachtete die Besucher.
A plainclothes cop stood in front of the entrance and watched the visitors.
Fixed expression
In the tactic 'guter Cop, böser Cop' (good cop, bad cop), one person acts in a friendly manner while the other acts threateningly in order to influence someone. The expression is also used outside police situations, for example in negotiations.
EXAMPLE
Bei der Verhandlung spielten die beiden Chefs guter Cop und böser Cop, um uns zur Zustimmung zu bewegen.
During the negotiations, the two bosses played good cop and bad cop to persuade us to agree.
In real life
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