Han jobber som lærer.

He works as a teacher.

Breakdown of Han jobber som lærer.

• han: he
• jobbe: to work
• læreren: the teacher
• som: as

Questions & Answers about Han jobber som lærer.

What is the infinitive of jobber, and how is it conjugated in the present tense?

The infinitive is å jobbe (to work). In Norwegian Bokmål, most verbs simply add -r in the present tense, so jobbe becomes jobber. For example:
• I work – Jeg jobber
• He works – Han jobber

Why is there no indefinite article en before lærer in Han jobber som lærer?

When you use som (as) to describe someone’s profession or role, Norwegian typically omits the indefinite article. So you say jobber som lærer rather than jobber som en lærer. Adding en would be grammatically possible but sounds redundant or overly emphatic.

What exactly does som mean here, and could it ever be left out?

In this sentence, som functions like the English “as” to indicate a professional capacity. You need som to convey “works as a teacher.” Omitting som (i.e. Han jobber lærer) is ungrammatical. If you want to drop som, you must change the structure to Han er lærer (“He is a teacher”).

Could you say Han er lærer instead of Han jobber som lærer? What’s the difference?

Yes, Han er lærer (“He is a teacher”) is perfectly correct.
• Han jobber som lærer focuses on his job activity: “He works as a teacher.”
• Han er lærer emphasizes his profession or identity: “He is a teacher.”

What tense is jobber, and is it irregular?

Jobber is the present tense of å jobbe. It is a regular verb: you form the present simply by adding -r to the infinitive stem. There’s no vowel change or irregularity.

Can you use another verb instead of jobber, like arbeider?

Yes. Å arbeide also means “to work,” but it is slightly more formal or old-fashioned. Conjugated in the present it becomes arbeider:
• Han arbeider som lærer
Both sentences are correct, but jobber is more common in everyday speech.

Is lærer a masculine word, and does it change form for feminine speakers?

Lærer belongs to the common gender (a merger of masculine and feminine in Bokmål), so it has the same form regardless of the speaker’s gender or the teacher’s gender. The indefinite form is en lærer, and the plural is lærere:

• One teacher: en lærer
• Two teachers: to lærere

Why does Han come before jobber in this sentence?

Norwegian follows the V2 word order rule in main clauses: the finite verb must be in the second position. Here, Han (the subject) is first, and jobber (the verb) is second. If you start with another element, like an adverb, the verb still stays second:

• I dag jobber han som lærer (“Today he works as a teacher”)