Viaduct

viaduct, fly-over, overpass [noun] [het viaduct, de viaducten]

There is not much to elaborate on here, a viaduct is just a viaduct and a fly-over is just a fly-over 🙂 However, in the past 3 years or so there has been quite some discussion in the Netherlands on how to prevent people from throwing objects down on the motor ways; a few people were killed by bricks flying through the wind screen of their cars. Plan is to put up some cameras that are able to detect ‘abnormal’ activity.

Examples:
– "De politie houdt vaak stiekem snelheidscontroles onder een viaduct."
("The police often secretly perform speed checks underneath a fly-over.")

– "Blijf de A4 volgen. Neem na het viaduct de eerste afslag richting Amsterdam."
("Keep on the A4. Take the first exit to Amsterdam after the viaduct." Literally: "Keep following the A4.")

– "Afgelopen weekend zijn twee jongeren gearresteerd na het gooien van bakstenen vanaf een viaduct."
("The past weekend, two adolescents have been arrested after they threw bricks off a viaduct." Literally: "… after the throwing of bricks…")

– "Om het gooien van stoeptegels te bemoeilijken, heeft het rijk besloten hekken te plaatsen op viaducten."
("In order to hinder the throwing of paving stones, the government has decided to erect fences at viaducts." Literally: "… to place fences…". When it concerns the authority "government" and not specifically the group of people in the government, the term "rijk" is used (a bit like "state"); quite often in the case of infrastructure. Mind that the adjective "rijk" translates to "rich".)

Spoorwegovergang

railway / railroad crossing [noun] [de spoorwegovergang, de spoorwegovergangen]

"Spoorwegovergang" is a good word for Scrabble 😉 It is built from several other words:
– "spoor": (t)rail;
– "weg": way/road;
– "overgang": transition, crossing, passage.

In the Netherlands there are two types of "spoorwegovergangen": the "onbewaakte spoorwegovergang" (ungated railroad crossing) and the "bewaakte spoorwegovergang" (gated railroad crossing). There are different road signs for an ungated and a gated railway crossing to alert traffic that a railroad crossing is ahead.

Examples:
– "Vannacht is er een auto door een trein aangereden bij een onbewaakte spoorwegovergang."
("Last night, a car has been hit by a train at an ungated railway crossing." Literally: "…a car has been ridden into by a train…")

Bewspoorwegovergang–  "Bij een bewaakte spoorwegovergang zie je op een bord altijd de melding: ‘Wacht tot lichten gedoofd zijn, er kan nog een trein komen’."
("At a gated railway crossing, one always sees the following message on a road sign: ‘Wait until lights are out, another train may come’." Literally: "…’Wait until lights have been extinguished’…")
Note:
This road sign is referring to the red lights that will blink as long as the gates are not fully up. The blinking red lights are accompanied by the sound of a clinging bell. No one ever really waits until the gates are fully up again…
Extra:
The word "overgang" (transition) is also used as a synonym for a woman’s menopause.
Example:
– "Tijdens de overgang hebben vrouwen vaak last van opvliegers."
("During menopause, women often have (hot) flushes/flashes." Literally: "…women are bothered/burdened with…")

Hoek

1. corner [noun] [de hoek, de hoeken]

Examples:
– "In New York kun je op bijna iedere hoek van de straat een hotdog kopen."
("In New York City one can buy a hotdog at the corner of almost every street." Literally: "…at almost every corner of the street…")

– "Toen de drugsdealer merkte dat hij gevolgd werd, sloeg hij snel de hoek van de straat om."
("When the drug dealer noticed that he was being followed, he quickly turned around the corner of the street." The verb "omslaan" is also used to turn a page: "een pagina omslaan".)

– "Het brutale kind moest in de hoek van de klas staan."
("The insolent child had to stand in the corner of the classroom.")

Expression:
– "Iemand alle hoeken van de kamer laten zien."
("To beat the living daylights out of someone." Literally: "to show somebody all corners of the room".)

2. angle [noun] [de hoek, de hoeken]

Examples:
– "Hoeveel graden is deze hoek?"
("How many degrees is this angle?")

– "Vrouwen bekijken dingen vaak vanuit een andere hoek dan mannen."
("Women often look at things from a different angle than men do.")

– "Vrachtwagens moeten nu verplicht een dode hoek sensor hebben."
("It is mandatory for trucks to have a blind spot sensor now." Lit.: "Trucks must have… mandatorily now.")

3. hook [noun] [de hoek, de hoeken]

Examples:
Hoek– "Hoek van Holland is een bekende plaats aan zee."
("Hook of Holland is a well-known town at the sea." Actually "Hoek van Holland" is officially treated as a district of the city of Rotterdam.)

– "De bokser werd met één directe rechtse hoek gevloerd."
("The boxer was floored with one direct right hook.")

Related word:
– "Iemand neerhoeken": <informal:> to knock somebody out.

Extra:
Although "hook" is translated with "hoek" in the context of boxing, "hook" is usually translated with "haak" in Dutch. "Haak" is used in the context of a bent (sharp) metal object, for example a fishing hook: "vishaak". Peter Pan’s most feared opponent Captain Hook would be "Kapitein Haak" 🙂

Brug

bridge [noun] [de brug, de bruggen]

Examples:
– "Wat is tegelijkertijd open en dicht?" –  "Een brug!"
("What is open and closed at the same time?" – "A bridge!")

– "Een brug te ver."
("A bridge too far." This is the title of a book about operation Market Garden which took place in the Netherlands in September 1944. The allied force did not succeed in securing the final (Rhine) bridge near Brug Arnhem.)

– "Brug open? Motor af!"
("Bridge open? Shut down engine!" Literally: "Engine off!" This sign you might see when you queue up with your car for a closed bridge.)

Expressions:
– "Over de brug komen.": to deliver the goods/to pay up, to comply with the demands (literally: "to come over the bridge.")

Example:
"Het bedrijf wordt verkocht, tenzij de directie met de 2 miljoen over de brug komt."
("The company will be sold, unless the board of directors pays the 2 million (that are demanded)."

– "Ezelsbruggetje": memory aid, mnemonic (lit.: "donkey (little) bridge").

Plein

square [noun] [het plein, de pleinen]

PleinAlthough many squares are square, "plein" does not translate to the shape "square"
but to the open four-sided space surrounded by buildings. The geometrical shape "square" translates to "vierkant" ("four side").

Examples:

– "Zie je dat huis aan de overkant van het plein?"
("Do you see that house on the opposite side of the square?")

– "Het Plein in Den Haag is een bekend plein."
("Het Plein in Den Haag is a well-known square." Here some might argue that the name of this square is actually "Plein" without "het", but no one ever says that 😉 .)

– "Het Leidseplein in Amsterdam is niet echt de plek om lekker te ontspannen."
("The Leidseplein in Amsterdam is not really the spot to pleasantly unwind.")

Related word:
– "Schoolplein": schoolyard, playing ground (at the school).
– "Pleinvrees": agoraphobia (literally: "square fear").