Resultatet er overraskende.

Because resultatet is the definite singular form of the noun resultat.

• et resultat = a result
• resultatet = the result

In Norwegian, the definite article is often attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word in front, so -et here means the.

Because resultat is a neuter noun in Norwegian.

Norwegian nouns have grammatical gender, and one common article for neuter nouns is et:

• et resultat = a result

So the full pattern is:

• et resultat = a result
• resultatet = the result

Er is the present tense of å være, which means to be.

So:

• er = is / are / am, depending on the subject

In this sentence:

• Resultatet er overraskende = The result is surprising

Unlike English, Norwegian does not change the present-tense form of å være depending on the subject:

• jeg er = I am
• du er = you are
• resultatet er = the result is

Here, overraskende is an adjective meaning surprising.

It comes after er, so it describes the subject:

• Resultatet = the result
• er overraskende = is surprising

This is called a predicative adjective: the adjective comes after a verb like to be rather than directly before the noun.

Compare:

• et overraskende resultat = a surprising result
• Resultatet er overraskende = The result is surprising

Because overraskende is one of those adjectives that usually keeps the same form.

Many adjectives in Norwegian change depending on gender and number, but adjectives ending in -ende are often unchanged:

• en overraskende nyhet = a surprising piece of news
• et overraskende resultat = a surprising result
• overraskende resultater = surprising results

So in this sentence, overraskende stays the same.

In this sentence, it is an adjective.

That can be confusing because the same form can also be used in ways that look adverbial. But here it describes resultatet, so it functions as an adjective:

• Resultatet er overraskende = The result is surprising

If it were modifying a verb instead, it would work more like an adverb:

• Han svarte overraskende rolig = He answered surprisingly calmly

So the form is the same, but the function depends on the sentence.

Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun.

So instead of saying something like the result, Norwegian often says:

• resultat + -et = resultatet

This is very normal in Norwegian.

A separate determiner can appear too in some structures, especially with adjectives:

• resultatet = the result
• det overraskende resultatet = the surprising result

But in your sentence, there is no adjective before the noun, so resultatet by itself is enough.

Yes, in this sentence it is very similar to English:

• Resultatet = subject
• er = verb
• overraskende = adjective/complement

So the pattern is:

Subject + verb + adjective

That is why it feels very straightforward:

• Resultatet er overraskende
• The result is surprising

Yes, but it does not mean exactly the same thing.

• Resultatet er overraskende = The result is surprising
• Det er overraskende = That/It is surprising

With det, the sentence is more general or refers back to something already understood.
With resultatet, you clearly name what is surprising.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

reh-sool-TAH-tet ehr oh-ver-RAH-sken-neh

A few notes:

• Resultatet has stress mainly on ta
• er is usually short
• overraskende has the main stress on rask

This is only an approximation for English speakers, but it can help you get started.

Yes. Then you get:

• et overraskende resultat = a surprising result
• det overraskende resultatet = the surprising result

So Norwegian can express the idea in two ways:

• Resultatet er overraskende = the result is surprising
• et overraskende resultat = a surprising result

The meaning is closely related, but the grammar is different:

• in the first sentence, the adjective comes after er
• in the second, it comes directly before the noun

This sentence is standard Bokmål.

In Nynorsk, you would often see:

• Resultatet er overraskande

The difference is mainly the adjective ending:

• Bokmål: overraskende
• Nynorsk: overraskande

Yes, absolutely. It is a complete, natural, and very standard sentence.

It has everything it needs:

• a subject: Resultatet
• a verb: er
• a complement: overraskende

So it works perfectly well on its own.