Han jobber i bransjen.

Yes, han means he.

In Norwegian, han is the subject form, so it is used when the person is doing the action:

• Han jobber. = He works.

When the person is the object, Norwegian often uses ham in more traditional written language, though many speakers also use han in everyday speech:

• Jeg kjenner ham. = I know him.
• everyday speech: Jeg kjenner han.

So in Han jobber i bransjen, han is used because he is the one doing the working.

The base form is å jobbe, which means to work.

So:

• å jobbe = to work
• jobber = works / am working / is working / are working, depending on context

Examples:

• Jeg jobber. = I work / I am working
• Han jobber. = He works / He is working

Norwegian present tense often covers both the English simple present and present continuous.

Because that is the present tense ending for this verb.

For many Norwegian verbs, you make the present tense by adding -r or -er to the infinitive stem. With å jobbe, the present tense is:

• å jobbe → jobber

So:

• Han jobber = He works / He is working

This is very common in Norwegian:

• å snakke → snakker
• å bo → bor
• å lære → lærer

It can mean both, depending on context.

Norwegian usually does not make the same strong distinction that English does between:

• He works
  and
• He is working

So Han jobber i bransjen most naturally means:

• He works in the industry
• or He is working in the industry

In many situations, the broader meaning is He works in that field/industry.

If you really want to stress an ongoing action right now, Norwegian can use other expressions, but the plain present tense is very often enough.

Because i is the normal preposition here for meaning in a field, industry, or sector.

• i bransjen = in the industry

This matches English quite closely. Norwegian often uses i with areas, fields, and industries:

• jobbe i helsevesenet = work in healthcare
• jobbe i finans = work in finance
• jobbe i bransjen = work in the industry

You should learn jobbe i as a natural combination in this kind of sentence.

Because bransjen is the definite form of the noun.

The noun is:

• en bransje = an industry / a branch of business

The definite singular is:

• bransjen = the industry

So:

• i en bransje = in an industry
• i bransjen = in the industry

Norwegian often adds the definite ending directly to the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

It is built into the end of the noun.

In Norwegian, definite nouns usually take an ending:

• en bil = a car

• bilen = the car

• en bransje = an industry
• bransjen = the industry

So the -n at the end of bransjen is doing the job that the does in English.

Because in Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the noun itself.

So instead of saying something like the industry with a separate word before the noun, Norwegian says:

• bransjen

That already means the industry.

If you add an adjective, the pattern changes:

• bransjen = the industry
• den norske bransjen = the Norwegian industry

So in the original sentence, no extra article is needed.

Jobber is very common and natural in everyday Norwegian. It is neutral and widely used.

Another verb you may see is arbeider, from å arbeide. That can also mean works:

• Han arbeider i bransjen.

But jobber is often more common in ordinary speech.

Very roughly:

• å jobbe = very common, everyday, natural
• å arbeide = also correct, sometimes a bit more formal or written

Both are useful, but å jobbe is extremely common.

Here, bransjen means the industry, but in practice it often means the line of business, the field, or the sector.

So Han jobber i bransjen can imply that he works in that professional area generally, not necessarily for one specific factory or company.

Depending on context, English might translate it as:

• He works in the industry.
• He works in the business.
• He works in that field.

So bransje is a useful word for talking about a professional sector.

The word order is very standard:

• Han = subject
• jobber = verb
• i bransjen = prepositional phrase

So the pattern is:

subject + verb + more information

This is the normal order in a simple Norwegian main clause:

• Jeg bor i Oslo.
• Hun studerer på universitetet.
• Han jobber i bransjen.

Norwegian does have verb-second word order, which means the verb must come second in main clauses. In this sentence, that happens naturally because the subject comes first.

Yes, that is possible, but it changes the emphasis.

• Han jobber i bransjen. = neutral statement
• I bransjen jobber han. = emphasis on in the industry

When a different element comes first in a Norwegian main clause, the verb still has to stay in second position:

• I bransjen jobber han.

That is a good example of Norwegian verb-second word order.

A useful approximate pronunciation is:

BRAHN-shen

A few notes:

• bran- sounds roughly like brahn
• sj is a sh-like sound
• the ending -en is the definite ending

So bransjen has that soft sh sound in the middle.

The exact pronunciation varies a little by dialect, but for most learners, thinking BRAHN-shen is a good start.

You add ikke after the verb:

• Han jobber ikke i bransjen. = He does not work in the industry.

That placement is very important in a normal main clause:

• subject + verb + ikke

Examples:

• Jeg kommer ikke.
• Hun snakker ikke norsk.
• Han jobber ikke i bransjen.

The past tense of å jobbe is jobbet:

• Han jobbet i bransjen. = He worked in the industry.

So the forms are:

• å jobbe = to work
• jobber = works / is working
• jobbet = worked
• har jobbet = has worked

Example:

• Han har jobbet i bransjen lenge. = He has worked in the industry for a long time.

Yes, very much so.

In many situations, this sentence describes his general occupation or professional area:

• Han jobber i bransjen. = He works in the industry.

This often means that this is what he does as a job, not necessarily what he is doing at this exact moment.

That is one reason the Norwegian present tense can feel broader than the English present tense.