jetty / footbridge
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jetty / dock
A structure that leads from the shore into the water and serves as a mooring place for boats or as a walkway.
Die Segelboote sind am hölzernen Steg am See festgemacht.
The sailboats are tied up at the wooden jetty by the lake.
You can recognize the meaning of 'Steg' from the context. If it is about water and boats, it means a mooring place. If it is about crossing a stream or ditch, it means a small bridge. With glasses or instruments, it is the connecting piece.
Wir saßen auf dem Steg und ließen die Füße ins Wasser baumeln.
We sat on the jetty and let our feet dangle in the water.
When the 'Steg' (jetty/dock) is a mooring place, you use 'am Steg' for the position and 'auf dem Steg' for the surface. Movement there is often expressed with 'zum Steg'.
Das Boot liegt sicher am Steg.
The boat is safely moored at the jetty.
In the meaning of a small bridge, 'Steg' is almost always used with the preposition 'über' and the accusative to describe crossing.
Sei vorsichtig, wenn du über den alten Steg gehst.
Be careful when you walk over the old footbridge.
bridge
'die Brücke' and 'der Steg' can both be structures that you can walk over. A 'Brücke' is often larger and leads over a river, a valley, a road, or another obstacle. A 'Steg' is usually narrower and simpler, often made of wood. For example, it may lead over a stream or from the shore into the water. Learners may confuse the words because a 'Steg' can seem like a small bridge. For large or solid structures, people tend to say 'Brücke'; for narrow walkways by the water or over small obstacles, people tend to say 'Steg'.
Am See wartet mein Kollege auf dem kleinen Steg.
At the lake, my colleague is waiting on the small jetty.
Die Fahrerin nimmt die breite Brücke über den Fluss.
The driver takes the wide bridge over the river.