Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Hvilket venterom skal jeg gå til på legekontoret? - Which waiting room should I go to at the doctor’s office?

It’s a compound: vente (to wait) + rom (room) → “waiting room.” Norwegian typically writes noun compounds as a single word, with the rightmost part as the head (which determines gender/definiteness): venterom is neuter because rom is neuter.

Why is the preposition til at the end of the clause (gå til)—is that allowed?

Yes. Norwegian allows preposition stranding in direct questions and relative clauses. So:

Stranded (very natural): Hvilket venterom skal jeg gå til …?
Fronted (more formal): Til hvilket venterom skal jeg gå …? Both are correct.

Can I move the preposition to the front here?

Yes: Til hvilket venterom skal jeg gå på legekontoret? This is a bit more formal/written style but perfectly fine.

Why is it på legekontoret and not i or hos?

på is used with many institutions/venues: på skolen, på kontoret, på legekontoret (at the doctor’s office).
hos
- a person/profession means “at the (appointment with)”: hos legen (“at the doctor’s”).
i focuses on being inside a physical space: i venterommet (“in the waiting room”).
So your sentence uses på because it’s about the institution.

What nuance does skal add here? Could I use bør, må, or kan instead?

skal = what I’m expected/supposed to do: “am I supposed to.”
bør = advice/recommendation: “should.”
må = obligation/necessity: “must/have to.”
kan = possibility/permission: “can/may.”
Examples:
Hvilket venterom bør jeg gå til …? (Which should I go to?)
Hvilket venterom må jeg gå til …? (Which must I go to?)
Hvilket venterom kan jeg gå til …? (Which can I go to?)

Why is the word order skal jeg instead of jeg skal?

Norwegian main clauses follow V2 word order: the finite verb must be in second position. The question starts with a wh-phrase (Hvilket venterom), so the finite verb (skal) comes next: Hvilket venterom [skal] jeg gå ….
Compare a subordinate clause: Jeg vet hvilket venterom jeg skal gå til … (here the verb is not in second position).

Why is it the indefinite venterom and not venterommet?

You’re asking to choose among options (which one), so the noun is indefinite: venterom. If you were referring to a specific, known room, you’d use the definite: venterommet.

How do the definite forms work in the compounds legekontoret and venterommet?

Neuter nouns take the definite suffix -et:

et kontor → kontoret; et legekontor → legekontoret
et rom → rommet; et venterom → venterommet
The gender comes from the head (rightmost) noun.

Is it okay to say Hvilket venterom skal jeg til? without gå?

Yes. With destinations, skal + til + place is natural: Jeg skal til Oslo/legen. So Hvilket venterom skal jeg til? works and is a bit shorter. Including gå just makes the motion explicit.

Why are there two prepositions, til and på, in one sentence?

They attach to different things:

gå til [X]: direction towards the destination (which waiting room to go to).
på legekontoret: the broader location (at the doctor’s office).
So you’re asking which waiting room (destination) at that location (the office).

Could I use hvor instead of hvilket?

Not if you want to emphasize choosing among specific rooms. hvor asks for a place in general (“where”). hvilket venterom means “which (one of the) waiting room(s).” If you just want “Where should I go at the doctor’s office?” you could say Hvor skal jeg gå på legekontoret?

How would I say “go into” rather than “go to”?

Use gå inn i for entering: Hvilket venterom skal jeg gå inn i på legekontoret? This focuses on physically going inside the room, not just heading to it.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

Initial hv- in hvilket is usually pronounced like v in many dialects: roughly “VIL-ket.”
jeg is commonly “yai/yei” depending on dialect.
venterom: stress on the first syllable: “VEN-te-rom.”
legekontoret: main stress on le-, secondary on -tor-: “LE-ge-kon-TO-re(t).”
Dialectal variation exists, and the final -t in neuter words may be lightly pronounced or dropped in some speech.