Die Polizei verfolgt den Dieb.

Polizei is a feminine noun in German: die Polizei.

In this sentence, die Polizei is the subject, so it is in the nominative case. The feminine nominative singular article is die.

A quick comparison:

• die Polizei = nominative / accusative singular
• der Polizei = genitive / dative singular

So here, die Polizei is correct because it is the one doing the action.

Because der Dieb is the direct object of the verb verfolgt, so it must be in the accusative case.

Dieb is a masculine noun:

• nominative: der Dieb
• accusative: den Dieb

So:

• der Dieb = the thief as the subject
• den Dieb = the thief as the object

In this sentence, the thief is being chased, not doing the chasing, so German uses den Dieb.

German often shows this through case, not only through word order.

Here:

• die Polizei = nominative subject
• den Dieb = accusative object

So the sentence means that the police are chasing the thief.

This is important because German can sometimes change the word order without changing the meaning:

• Die Polizei verfolgt den Dieb.
• Den Dieb verfolgt die Polizei.

Both still mean the police are chasing the thief, because den Dieb is marked as accusative.

It is grammatically singular.

That is why the verb is verfolgt and not a plural form.

Although the police in English usually takes a plural verb, German die Polizei is usually treated as a singular collective noun, meaning the police force as an institution.

So German says:

• Die Polizei verfolgt den Dieb.

Not:

• Die Polizei verfolgen den Dieb.

Because German and English treat this idea differently.

In English, the police is usually plural:

• The police are chasing the thief.

In German, die Polizei is usually a singular collective noun:

• Die Polizei verfolgt den Dieb.

So even though the meaning is similar, the grammar is different.

Verfolgt is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb verfolgen.

Conjugation in the present tense:

• ich verfolge
• du verfolgst
• er/sie/es verfolgt
• wir verfolgen
• ihr verfolgt
• sie/Sie verfolgen

Since die Polizei is grammatically singular, the sentence uses verfolgt.

No. Verfolgen can have several related meanings depending on context, such as:

• to chase
• to pursue
• to track
• sometimes to persecute
• sometimes to follow in a more abstract sense, like following an idea or goal

In this sentence, with die Polizei and den Dieb, the natural meaning is to chase / pursue.

No. Verfolgen is not separable.

That means it stays together:

• Die Polizei verfolgt den Dieb.

Compare that with a separable verb like verfolgen? No—this one does not split. So you do not say anything like Die Polizei folgt den Dieb ver.

The whole verb stays as verfolgen.

In a normal German main clause, the finite verb usually comes in second position.

Here the sentence is:

• Die Polizei | verfolgt | den Dieb

So:

1. first position: Die Polizei
2. second position: verfolgt

This is one of the most important German word-order rules.

Yes. That is grammatically correct.

German often allows you to move elements around, as long as the verb still stays in second position and the case markings make the roles clear.

So both are correct:

• Die Polizei verfolgt den Dieb.
• Den Dieb verfolgt die Polizei.

The second version puts more emphasis on den Dieb.

Because all nouns are capitalized in German.

So:

• die Polizei
• der Dieb
• das Haus
• die Stadt

This is a standard rule in German spelling.

Usually no.

Die Polizei usually means:

• the police as an institution
• the police force in general

If you want to talk about one officer, you would usually say:

• der Polizist = male police officer
• die Polizistin = female police officer

So this sentence is about the police as a whole, not one specific officer.

Verfolgen normally takes a direct object in the accusative case.

That is why you get:

• den Dieb

More examples:

• Ich verfolge den Wagen.
• Sie verfolgt den Mann.

So if you use verfolgen with a person or thing being pursued, that object is usually accusative.