Common mistakes
Flic or policier: “cop”, “police officer” and the word police
Recognise flic in casual French and use policier or policière in a neutral account. Practise person, institution and detective-story meanings.
- B1
- 3 corrections
- Examples and fixes
- Learn this in the B1 notebook →
In short
Un flic is a familiar word for a cop. Un policier or une policière is the neutral profession term; la police refers to the police as a group or institution. Use the neutral forms for a straightforward description.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
- un flican automatic insulta cop; familiar register
J’ai parlé à un flic devant la gare.I spoke to a cop outside the station.
For a neutral account, use un policier or une policière. The whole sentence carries the speaker’s attitude.
- la policeone police officerthe police; the force or institution
La police a retrouvé le sac.The police found the bag.
For one person, say un policier or une policière. With la police, the French verb is singular.
- un roman policiera person in that phrasean adjective describing a detective or crime novel
Elle lit un roman policier.She is reading a detective novel.
Keep policier for the genre. Flic names a person.
Is flic rude in French?
Police vocabulary in context
Find:
| Familiar | Neutral |
|---|---|
| Un flic a retrouvé mon sac. | Un policier a retrouvé mon sac. |
| Les flics sont arrivés. | Les policiers sont arrivés. |
| J’ai appelé les flics. | J’ai appelé la police. |
Notice the grammar when the subject changes: Les policiers sont arrivés becomes La police est arrivée. The collective noun police is feminine singular. For a woman, write La policière est arrivée.
- Ami
Alors, ton sac ?
So, what about your bag?
- Vous
Un flic l’a retrouvé. Je suis soulagé !
A cop found it. I’m relieved!
- Compte rendu
Un policier a retrouvé mon sac près de la gare.
A police officer found my bag near the station.
The casual version sounds at home in a chat between friends. The neutral version suits a written account. When speaking directly to an officer, a simple Bonjour, madame or Bonjour, monsieur gives you a useful opening.