LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "la police" in French?
la po-LEESS — singular in French, with a pronounced final "s" and no "z" anywhere.
la po-LICE, weight on the second syllable. The noun is singular and feminine in French, which is why it takes "la" and a singular verb — quite different from English, where "the police" is plural.
Listen: la police
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La police aide les gens.
The police help people.
Listen: La police aide les gens.
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"La police aide les gens" uses a singular verb, "aide", following from the singular noun — English would say "the police help". "Aide" ends in a silent "e" that keeps the "d" audible. "Les gens" makes no liaison since "gens" begins with a consonant, and its "g" is the soft buzz of "measure".
Where English speakers slip
English speakers use a plural verb, saying "la police aident", which is the most visible error with this word — the noun is singular and takes a singular verb. Phonetically, the final "-ce" sometimes gets voiced into a "z" by analogy with words like "valise"; it stays a clean hiss. And the first vowel should be a short open "o", not the schwa English puts there.