die
Polizeiwache
🏛️ What exactly is a Polizeiwache?
The German word Polizeiwache (feminine, article: die) refers to a police station or precinct. It's the building or office where police officers work, reports are filed, and sometimes individuals are temporarily held. It serves as the local point of contact for citizens regarding police matters.
The word is composed of Polizei (police) and Wache (guard post, station).
Since it refers to a specific type of building/institution, it only uses the feminine article die. There are no alternative articles with different meanings. ⚠️ Remember: it's always die Polizeiwache.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-e/-ee → almost always feminine.
There are many -e nouns, many of which are feminine, but there are also some important exceptions.
🧐 Grammar in Detail: The Declension
The noun 'Polizeiwache' is feminine. Here are the declension tables:
Declension Singular
| Case | Definite Article | Indefinite Article |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Who/What?) | die Polizeiwache | eine Polizeiwache |
| Genitive (Whose?) | der Polizeiwache | einer Polizeiwache |
| Dative (To/for whom?) | der Polizeiwache | einer Polizeiwache |
| Accusative (Whom/What?) | die Polizeiwache | eine Polizeiwache |
Declension Plural
| Case | Definite Article | Indefinite Article |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die Polizeiwachen | Polizeiwachen / keine Polizeiwachen |
| Genitive | der Polizeiwachen | Polizeiwachen / keiner Polizeiwachen |
| Dative | den Polizeiwachen | Polizeiwachen / keinen Polizeiwachen |
| Accusative | die Polizeiwachen | Polizeiwachen / keine Polizeiwachen |
Example Sentences 📝
- Der Diebstahl wurde auf der nächsten Polizeiwache gemeldet. (The theft was reported at the nearest police station.)
- Die Adresse der Polizeiwache finden Sie online. (You can find the address of the police station online.)
- Er musste zur Vernehmung auf die Polizeiwache. (He had to go to the police station for questioning.)
- In unserer Stadt gibt es zwei Polizeiwachen. (There are two police stations in our city.)
🗣️ How to use 'Polizeiwache'?
The term Polizeiwache is used in everyday language when referring to the police building or station.
- Typical situations: You go to the Polizeiwache to report a crime (eine Anzeige erstatten), report an accident (einen Unfall melden), seek help (Hilfe suchen), or if you are summoned (vorgeladen werden).
- Context: It's often mentioned in contexts related to crime, safety, emergencies, or administrative procedures (like lost and found - Fundsachen).
- Comparison: Polizeirevier (das) is very similar and often used synonymously. Sometimes 'Revier' refers to a larger jurisdiction, while 'Wache' implies the local station, but the distinction is often blurred in daily use. Polizeipräsidium (das) usually refers to a higher-level, larger police authority.
🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids
Article Mnemonic: Think of die Wache (the guard post/station), which is feminine. Since 'Polizeiwache' ends in '-wache' and die Wache is feminine, die Polizeiwache is also feminine.
Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine the Polizei (police) keeping watch (wachen) over the city from their station – the Polizeiwache.
🔄 Synonyms and Similar Words
Synonyms (Words with similar meaning):
- Polizeirevier (das): Very similar, often interchangeable. Sometimes implies a larger area.
- Wache (die): Shorter form, but can also refer to other stations (e.g., Feuerwache - fire station). Context is crucial.
- Polizeidienststelle (die): A more formal, administrative term for police station/office.
- Kommissariat (das): Often used synonymously, but can also specifically refer to a department (e.g., criminal investigation department - Kriminalkommissariat).
Antonyms (Opposites):
There isn't a direct antonym. Figuratively, one might mention places of crime (like a Verbrecherhöhle - den of thieves), but this isn't a true linguistic opposite.
Similar but different words:
- Feuerwache (die): Fire station.
- Rettungswache (die): Ambulance station / base for emergency medical services.
- Gefängnis (das) / Justizvollzugsanstalt (die): Prison / correctional facility (for serving sentences, not just temporary holding like sometimes at a Polizeiwache).
😂 A Little Joke
German: Warum nehmen Polizisten immer eine Rolle Toilettenpapier mit zur Polizeiwache?
Damit sie die Lage 'abwickeln' können! 😉
English Translation: Why do police officers always take a roll of toilet paper to the police station?
So they can 'unravel' (or 'handle/wrap up') the situation! 😉 (The German word 'abwickeln' means both to unwind/unroll and to handle/process/settle a matter.)
📜 A Poem about the Station
German:
In der Stadt, bei Tag und Nacht,
steht die Polizeiwache, hält die Wacht.
Blaulicht hell, Sirene klingt,
wenn Unrecht durch die Straßen dringt.
Ein Haus für Schutz, Gesetz und Recht,
hier findet mancher Rat, ganz schlicht.
English Translation:
In the city, day and night,
stands the police station, holding guard bright.
Blue light flashing, siren sounds,
when injustice through the streets abounds.
A house for safety, law, and right,
here many find advice, quite plain and light.
❓ A Little Riddle
German:
Ich habe Zellen, doch bin kein Körper.
Ich habe Beamte, doch bin kein Amt im reinen Sinne.
Man kommt zu mir, wenn man Hilfe braucht oder Unrecht geschah.
Mein Name klingt nach Ordnung und Bewachen.
Was bin ich?
Lösung: Die Polizeiwache
English Translation:
I have cells, but I'm not a body.
I have officers (Beamte), but I'm not purely an office.
People come to me when they need help or a wrong has occurred.
My name sounds like order and guarding (Wachen).
What am I?
Solution: The police station (Die Polizeiwache)
💡 Other Information
Word Composition:
The word 'Polizeiwache' is a compound noun, formed from:
- Die Polizei: The police force, responsible for maintaining public order and safety.
- Die Wache: Originally the act of watching or a group of guards, here used in the sense of a station or building from which guarding/watching is done.
Good to know:
- Not every Polizeiwache is open 24/7, especially in smaller towns.
- The size and facilities of police stations can vary greatly.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Polizeiwache?
The noun 'Polizeiwache' is feminine. The correct article is die: die Polizeiwache (singular) and die Polizeiwachen (plural).