Learn Hardcore Dutch: Anna eet zoete taart.

Anna is the subject, a proper noun referring to a person. Eet is the present tense, third person singular form of the verb eten (to eat). Zoete is the adjective zoet (sweet) inflected with an -e ending to agree with the noun it modifies, and taart means cake. So, the sentence literally translates to Anna eats sweet cake.

Why is there no article (like a or een) before taart in the sentence?

In Dutch, including an article before a countable noun is common when referring to a specific instance (for example, "een zoete taart" for "a sweet cake"). However, articles can be omitted for stylistic or general statements about food. The omission here may imply a general statement about the type of cake Anna eats, rather than emphasizing a particular cake.

Why does the adjective zoet appear as zoete in this sentence, even though no article precedes the noun?

In Dutch, adjectives placed directly before a noun are inflected with an -e ending when the noun is of common gender or plural, or when the noun is definite. In this case, taart is a common gender noun, so the adjective must take the -e ending, resulting in zoete. Note that if the noun were neuter and used without an article, the adjective might appear uninflected (for example, "mooi huis" instead of "mooi huis" with an -e).