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.