der Polizist
police officer
A male police officer whose job is to maintain public safety and order and to investigate crimes.
EXAMPLE
Ein Polizist regelte den Verkehr an der Kreuzung.
A police officer directed traffic at the intersection.
der Polizist
police officer
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Meanings
Usage tips
Careful: n-declension
'Der Polizist' (the police officer) is a weak noun (n-declension). This means it takes the ending '-en' in the accusative, dative, and genitive singular. This pattern applies to many masculine terms for people that end in '-ist.'
EXAMPLE
Ich frage den Polizisten nach dem Weg.
I ask the police officer for directions.
Word formation
The word is derived from 'die Polizei' (the police). The ending '-ist' is often used in German to refer to a person who practices a certain profession or belongs to a certain group.
EXAMPLE
Ein Journalist schreibt für eine Zeitung, ein Polizist arbeitet für die Polizei.
A journalist writes for a newspaper; a police officer works for the police.
Typical verbs
Common verbs with 'Polizist' (police officer) describe typical police activities. These include 'den Verkehr regeln' (to direct traffic), 'eine Anzeige aufnehmen' (to take a report), and 'einen Unfall aufnehmen' (to record an accident).
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Diebstahl nahm ein Polizist unsere Anzeige auf.
After the theft, a police officer took our report.
Compare with
Polizist vs Officer
officer
Polizist and Officer can refer to the same person in an Anglo-American context. Polizist is the neutral German term, while Officer, as a borrowed English word, emphasizes this context more strongly. In an ordinary German report, Polizist is therefore usually the better choice.
Polizist
Der Polizist in New York kontrolliert den Führerschein des Fahrers.
The police officer in New York checks the driver's license.
Officer
In der US-Serie kontrolliert der Officer den Führerschein des Fahrers.
In the American TV series, the officer checks the driver's license.
In real life
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