Det ser ut til at bananene er modne, men kyllingen er fortsatt frossen.

It is a set expression meaning it looks like or it seems that.

So:

• Det = it
• ser = sees / looks
• ut til at = part of the fixed expression

But you should really learn det ser ut til at as one chunk, because the literal word-for-word meaning is less helpful than the idiomatic meaning.

Here det is a dummy subject (also called a formal subject). Norwegian often uses det in the same way English uses it in sentences like:

• It is raining
• It seems that...
• It looks like...

So in Det ser ut til at..., the det does not refer to a specific thing. It is just there because Norwegian normally wants a subject in the sentence.

Because at introduces a subordinate clause:

• at bananene er modne

This whole part means that the bananas are ripe.

A useful pattern to remember is:

• Det ser ut til at + clause
  • Det ser ut til at bananene er modne.

There is also a related pattern:

• Det ser ut til å + infinitive
  • Det ser ut til å gå bra. = It looks like it will go well.

So at is there because what follows is a full clause with its own subject and verb.

They are both in the definite form:

• bananene = the bananas
• kyllingen = the chicken

This suggests we are talking about specific bananas and a specific chicken, probably ones visible or already known in the situation.

Compare:

• bananer = bananas
• bananene = the bananas
• kylling = chicken
• kyllingen = the chicken

The endings here are typical:

• -ene for definite plural: bananene
• -en for definite singular of many common-gender nouns: kyllingen

This is about adjective agreement.

In Norwegian, predicate adjectives agree with the noun:

• singular common gender: often no extra ending
• singular neuter: usually -t
• plural: usually -e

Here:

• bananene is plural, so: modne
• kyllingen is singular common gender, so: frossen

Compare:

• Bananen er moden. = The banana is ripe.
• Bananene er modne. = The bananas are ripe.
• Eplet er modent. = The apple is ripe.

And:

• Kyllingen er frossen. = The chicken is frozen.
• Kjøttet er frossent. = The meat is frozen.
• Varene er frosne. = The goods are frozen.

So the different forms are caused by number and gender.

Fortsatt means still.

So:

• kyllingen er fortsatt frossen
• the chicken is still frozen

It tells you that the situation has not changed yet.

Because Norwegian main clauses normally follow the V2 rule: the finite verb comes in the second position.

In this clause:

• kyllingen = first element
• er = finite verb, so it must come second
• fortsatt = adverb, so it comes after the verb

That gives:

• Kyllingen er fortsatt frossen.

This is very natural Norwegian word order.

Yes. That is very common.

Both of these are natural:

• Det ser ut til at bananene er modne.
• Det ser ut som bananene er modne.

In many everyday situations, ser ut som sounds a bit more conversational, while ser ut til at can sound slightly more formal or careful. But both are standard and correct.

It is historically a past participle from the verb å fryse = to freeze, but here it is being used like an adjective meaning frozen.

That is very common in Norwegian. Many past participles can function as adjectives:

• frossen = frozen
• lukket = closed
• åpen is not a participle, but behaves similarly as a state adjective
• kokt = boiled

So in this sentence, frossen describes the state of the chicken.

It can mean either, depending on context.

But in this sentence, chicken meat is the most likely meaning, because frozen strongly suggests food.

So a learner should understand:

• kyllingen er fortsatt frossen = the chicken is still frozen

If the context were a farm in winter, it could theoretically mean the bird is freezing, but that is not the normal interpretation here.

Because men joins two full clauses:

1. Det ser ut til at bananene er modne
2. kyllingen er fortsatt frossen

Norwegian normally uses a comma before men when it connects independent clauses like this.

So the comma helps mark the contrast:

• the bananas are ripe,
• but the chicken is still frozen.

Because modne is a predicate adjective here, not an adjective directly placed before a noun.

Compare:

Predicate adjective

• Bananene er modne.
• The adjective comes after er.

Attributive adjective

• de modne bananene
• Here the adjective comes before the noun, and the structure is different.

So:

• bananene er modne = the bananas are ripe
• de modne bananene = the ripe bananas

That is why you do not use de in the original sentence.