Han er homofil.

• Han = the subject pronoun, meaning he
• er = the present tense of å være, meaning is / are / am
• homofil = an adjective here, meaning gay / homosexual

So grammatically, the pattern is:

subject + verb + predicate adjective

That is very normal in Norwegian:

• Han er trøtt = He is tired
• Han er norsk = He is Norwegian
• Han er homofil = He is gay

Because er is the present tense of å være = to be.

So:

• jeg er = I am
• du er = you are
• han er = he is

In this sentence, er links the subject han to the description homofil, just like English is in He is gay.

Here, homofil is functioning as an adjective.

It describes han after the verb er, so it is a predicate adjective.

That is why the sentence works like:

• Han er høy = He is tall
• Han er syk = He is sick
• Han er homofil = He is gay

In some contexts, words like this can be used more noun-like, but in this sentence it is best understood as an adjective.

Because homofil is not a noun here. It is an adjective describing the subject.

Compare:

• Han er homofil = He is gay
  
  • homofil is an adjective
• Han er en mann = He is a man
  
  • mann is a noun, so it needs en

So Norwegian works like English here:

• He is gay — no article
• He is a man — article needed

Yes, adjectives in Norwegian can change form depending on gender and number.

The basic forms are:

• homofil — common gender singular
• homofilt — neuter singular
• homofile — plural / definite

Examples:

• Han er homofil
• Et homofilt ekteskap = a gay marriage
• De er homofile = They are gay

In your sentence, han is singular and refers to a male person, so the basic form homofil is correct.

Yes. Homofil can be used about a woman as well:

• Hun er homofil = She is gay

However, if you want to be more specific for a woman, Norwegian also commonly uses lesbisk:

• Hun er lesbisk = She is lesbian / She is a lesbian

So:

• homofil = broader term
• lesbisk = specifically for women

Homofil is a normal, neutral, standard word.

Other options have different tones:

• homoseksuell
  More formal or clinical-sounding. Still correct, but often less everyday than homofil.
• gay
  Also used in Norwegian, especially in informal speech and among younger speakers, but it is more borrowed and less neutral in all contexts.
• homo
  Can be casual, but it can also sound rude or offensive depending on tone and context. It is safer for learners to avoid this unless you are very sure about the situation.

So for most learners, homofil is the safest and most standard choice.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

han ehr हू-moo-FEEL

More simply:

• Han ≈ hahn
• er ≈ ehr
• homofil ≈ hoo-moo-FEEL

The main stress is on the last syllable of homofil.

A few notes:

• Norwegian r varies by dialect.
• The vowels are purer than in English.
• In natural speech, han and er may sound a bit reduced depending on dialect and speed.

Very simply:

Question:

• Er han homofil? = Is he gay?

Here, Norwegian moves the verb to the front.

Negative:

• Han er ikke homofil. = He is not gay.

So the key patterns are:

• statement: Han er homofil
• question: Er han homofil?
• negative: Han er ikke homofil

Usually, no — not as a normal equivalent of He is gay.

The natural sentence is:

• Han er homofil

If you say Han er en homofil, it sounds incomplete to many speakers, as if a noun is missing, such as:

• Han er en homofil mann = He is a gay man

So:

• Han er homofil = natural
• Han er en homofil mann = also natural
• Han er en homofil = usually not the best choice on its own

Yes, Han er homofil is generally neutral and standard.

Still, politeness depends on context:

• It is usually best to use the term a person uses about themselves.
• Avoid older or slangy words unless you know they are welcome.
• Tone matters a lot, especially with identity-related words.

So grammatically and socially, Han er homofil is a normal and safe sentence in many contexts.

No, this is basic Norwegian main-clause word order:

subject + verb + complement

So:

• Han er lærer = He is a teacher
• Han er glad = He is happy
• Han er homofil = He is gay

This is the standard pattern you will use very often in Norwegian.