Learn Hardcore Dutch: Wij wachten in het lokaal totdat de docent komt. - We wait in the classroom until the teacher comes.

Wij wachten in het lokaal = We are waiting in the classroom (it just describes the act of waiting and the location).
There is no direct “object” of the waiting (no for whom or for what is explicitly stated in the main clause), so op is not needed there.

If you include who you are waiting for, you must add op:

Wij wachten in het lokaal op de docent.
We are waiting for the teacher in the classroom.

In your original sentence, for whom you wait only appears in the time clause:

… totdat de docent komt = until the teacher comes,
not as a direct object of wachten.

What’s the difference between “wij” and “we”? Could I say “We wachten in het lokaal…”?

Yes, you can absolutely say:

We wachten in het lokaal totdat de docent komt.

The difference is mainly one of emphasis and formality:

wij = strong / stressed form, a bit more emphatic or formal.
we = weak / unstressed form, more common in everyday speech.

Examples:

Wij gaan nu weg. (stressed: WE are going now, not someone else.)
We gaan nu weg. (neutral statement)

In most neutral sentences, Dutch speakers prefer we. So both are correct; wij here simply gives a slight emphasis or a more “full” pronoun.

Why is it “in het lokaal” and not “in de lokaal”?

In Dutch, every noun has a grammatical gender that determines the definite article:

de-words → use de
het-words → use het

The word lokaal (classroom) is a het-word:

het lokaal = the classroom

So the correct phrase is:

in het lokaal = in the classroom

Using de lokaal is grammatically wrong, because lokaal does not take de.

What exactly does “lokaal” mean? How is it different from “klas” or “kamer”?

All three can be related to rooms, but they aren’t interchangeable:

lokaal
Usually means a classroom or teaching room in a school or university.
- het lokaal = the classroom
klas
Primarily means a group of students (“class” as a group), but can also sometimes mean the classroom in everyday speech.
- de klas kan mean either the class (group of students) or the classroom, depending on context.
kamer
A general room (bedroom, living room, hotel room, etc.).
- de kamer = the room

So “Wij wachten in het lokaal” most naturally reads as We are waiting in the (school) classroom.

Why does the verb go at the end in “totdat de docent komt”?

Totdat is a subordinating conjunction (like because, when, although in English). In Dutch, in a subordinate clause, the finite verb normally goes to the end of the clause.

Structure of your subordinate clause:

totdat (conjunction)
de docent (subject)
komt (finite verb → goes to the end)

So:

totdat de docent komt
literally: until the teacher comes
(but word order is: [conjunction] + [subject] + [verb at the end])

This is a core rule of Dutch word order:

main clause: Subject – Verb – (rest)
- Wij wachten in het lokaal.
subordinate clause: Conjunction – Subject – (rest) – Verb
- … totdat de docent komt.

Could I say “totdat de docent zal komen” to talk about the future?

Normally, no; in standard Dutch this sounds unnatural.

In time clauses with words like totdat, als, wanneer, voordat, nadat, zodra, Dutch usually uses the present tense even when the meaning is future:

Ik wacht hier totdat hij komt.
= I’ll wait here until he comes.

Your sentence follows that pattern:

Wij wachten in het lokaal totdat de docent komt.
= We are (or will be) waiting in the classroom until the teacher comes.

Using zal komen here would be grammatically possible in theory but is generally considered odd or incorrect in normal Dutch. Stick to the present tense after totdat for future situations.

Can I move “in het lokaal” or other parts around, like in English?

Yes, Dutch word order is somewhat flexible, but not everything is acceptable. Some common variants:

Original:
- Wij wachten in het lokaal totdat de docent komt.
Fronting the place for emphasis:
- In het lokaal wachten wij totdat de docent komt.
- This is correct and sounds natural; it emphasizes in the classroom.
Keeping the subordinate clause in the middle is normal:
- Wij wachten in het lokaal totdat de docent komt.

What you shouldn’t do is put the place inside the subordinate clause in a way that breaks the basic pattern:

✗ Wij wachten totdat de docent komt in het lokaal.
This usually sounds wrong or at least very awkward, because in a subordinate clause, extra elements normally come before the verb, not after it.

If you want the classroom information in the subordinate clause, you would say:

Wij wachten totdat de docent in het lokaal komt.
(…until the teacher comes into the classroom) — this slightly changes the meaning.

Why is it “de docent” and not “het docent”, and does “docent” mean a male or female teacher?

Docent is a de-word (common gender):

de docent = the teacher / lecturer

About gender:

Grammatically, docent is common gender, so it always takes de.
It can refer to any gender (male, female, non-binary). In modern usage, de docent is usually treated as gender‑neutral.
There is a specifically feminine form docente, but it is used less nowadays; many people just use docent for everyone.

You might also see leraar / lerares:

de leraar = (male) teacher
de lerares = (female) teacher

Docent is very common for secondary school and higher education, and generally neutral in style.

Can I leave out “wij” and just say “Wachten in het lokaal totdat de docent komt”?

In normal Dutch, you must include the subject pronoun. Dutch is not a “pro‑drop” language like Spanish or Italian.

So:

Wij wachten in het lokaal totdat de docent komt. ✅
We wachten in het lokaal totdat de docent komt. ✅
✗ Wachten in het lokaal totdat de docent komt. (incorrect as a normal sentence)

You might see a form without the pronoun in:

Headlines or notes (Wachten in het lokaal totdat de docent komt. as an instruction on a board)
Commands using imperative: Wacht in het lokaal totdat de docent komt. (here the verb form is different: wacht, not wachten)

But as a regular declarative sentence, the subject (wij/we) is required.

How do you pronounce “wachten”, especially the “ch”?

Pronunciation tips:

wa → like “wa” in English “water” (British-ish), but shorter.
ch → a guttural sound from the back of the throat, similar to:
- German “Bach”
- Scottish “loch”
ten → roughly like “tuhn”, with a short e (like the e in “bed” but shorter and more central).

So wachten sounds roughly like:

WAHCH-tuhn
(with the “ch” as in German Bach, not like English “watch”).

The -en ending is usually pronounced almost like -uhn, with a very weak or almost silent final n in many accents.