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 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" 🙂

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 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").

square [noun] [het plein, de pleinen]

Although 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").

crossing, junction, intersection, crossroads [noun] [het kruispunt, de kruispunten]

A "kruis" is a "cross" and a "punt" a "point", hence "kruispunt" is the point at which a crossing occurs. A common synonym for "kruispunt" is "kruising". Do not confuse this with "kruisiging"; this translates to "crucifixion".

Examples:
– "De stoplichten bij dit kruispunt zijn buiten werking."
("The traffic lights at this crossing are out of action.")

– "Rij deze straat uit, en ga linksaf bij het kruispunt."
("Drive to the end of this street and turn left at the intersection." Lit.: "Drive/ride this street out".)

– "Er is een ongeluk gebeurd op het kruispunt."
("There has been an accident at the intersection." Lit.: "There has happened an accident…")

– "Holland is een kruispunt van culturen."
("Holland is a crossroads of cultures." Here we have incorrectly used the name Holland as a synonym for the Netherlands. Follow the link for explanation.)

Related words:
– "Kruising": synonym for "kruispunt".
– "Rotonde": roundabout, traffic circle.

1. path, pathway, walk, track [noun] [het pad, de paden]

The Netherlands are well-known for the ubiquitous bicycle paths, in cities and in the countryside.
The fact that all is flat here of course stimulates cycling in the first place, however the Dutch seem to make a point out of creating the infrastructure as well. If you find yourself cycling where there is no bicycle path, you are in principle allowed to bike on the street but of course you have to use common sense here. Sometimes it is obvious that you shouldn’t! In any case: biking on the pavement is prohibited, the fine is 30 Euros 🙂 .

"Pad" is a word that can have both "de" and "het" as an article. However, mind that the meaning changes with the article! See the second translation below.

Examples:
– "Dit is een voetpad. Hier mag je niet fietsen!"
("This is a foot path. You are not allowed to bike here!")

– "Ik fietste naar het werk, en toen hield plotseling het fietspad op!!"
("I was biking to work, and then suddenly the bike path ended!!")

– "Het pad naar de verlichting is niet geplaveid!"
("The path to enlightenment is not paved!")

– "Het gaat niet om het doel, maar om het pad ernaar toe."
("It is not about the goal, but about the path leading to it." The word "ernaar" is like "to there".)

– "En langs het tuinpad van mijn vader…"
("And along the garden path of my father…" This is a line from the song ‘Het dorp’, performed by the famous Dutch cabaret performer from the 60s-70s: Wim Sonneveld. He is an icon of Dutch comedy/variété.)

Expression:
– "Op pad gaan.": lit. "to go on path" this is said when you are going outside for some kind of activity that involves travel, like a daytrip or excursion. Example: "Kom, we gaan op pad!".

Related words:
– "Zebrapad": pedestrian crossing.
– "Voetpad": foot path.
– "Fietspad": bike path.
– "Stoep": pavement, sidewalk.
– "Trottoir": fancy synonym for "stoep"; adoption of French "trottoir".

2. toad [noun] [de pad, de padden]

Marc and I have been training lately for the CPC-run that will be held in The Hague this coming Saturday. Part of the track is uphill through a bit of a woody area with a pond down the hill. In the evening the road is closed off because of the so-called "paddentrek", which is the toads’ (spring)
migration (literally it translates to something like the "toads hike"). We are no experts, but apparently, in spring, toads leave the woods during the night to do some kind of business in the pond. The road is not closed off for pedestrians, but you still have to watch out not to step on one!

Examples:
– "Niet iedereen is bekend met de ‘paddentrek’. "
("Not everybody is familiar with the ‘toads’ migration’. ")

– "Ik weet niet of een pad ook in een prins kan veranderen als je hem zoent."
("I don’t know if a toad can also change into a prince if you kiss it.")

Related word:
– "Kikker": frog.