Prepositions in Norwegian

can be tricky sometimes, for

instance when you want to

inform someone where you

are going. 

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However, if the focus is solely

on destination or

transportation, you will

always use til, for example

when informing the taxi

driver where to take you

(e.g., 'Jeg skal til universitetet').

He will drop you off next to

the steps, and what you do

next, is of no interest to him

- maybe you enter the

building, or maybe you go

somewhere else. 

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But in other situations, you

would rather say: 'Jeg skal på

universitetet', and in this, there is a bit more information, because this also implies that you are actually entering the building - maybe you have a lecture, or maybe you are heading towards your office. 

Similarly, if you are telling someone: 'Jeg skal på butikken', they would take for granted that you will be doing some shopping, not only going there for the exercise of it. 

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However, if you want to inform someone how you are getting there, you will use til. e.g.: 'Jeg tar bussen til butikken' (you cannot take the bus inside the shop, can you...).

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So how would you translate this to Norwegian: 'The bus isn't coming, so today I have to walk to the university'? Would you use til or på? 

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The correct answer is til. 'Bussen kommer ikke, så i dag må jeg gå til universitetet.'

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Note that sometimes you will use i instead of på, but the meaning is the same; the choice between those two are highly idiomatic. Most often you will use på however, so if you remember those few where you need to say i, you can pretty much use på with everything else:

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Note that when talking about going to geographical places - such as cities or countries - you will always use  til, e.g.:

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Jeg skal dra til Italia.

Jeg skal reise til Oslo.