Learn Hardcore Russian: Дата на письме правильная.

The phrase на письме literally translates to “on the letter.” Here, на is used because Russian often employs this preposition when referring to something on the surface of an object—in this case, the surface of the paper that makes up the letter. In contrast, в письме would generally mean “in the letter,” referring to its content rather than what is physically written on it.

What is the grammatical role of письме in this sentence, and which case is it in?

Письме is part of an adverbial prepositional phrase that tells us where the date is located. It is in the prepositional case, which typically follows prepositions such as на when indicating location or position. This helps clarify that the date appears on the letter itself.

How does the adjective правильная agree with its noun, and what does this indicate about sentence structure?

The adjective правильная is in the feminine singular form, matching the gender and number of дата, which is also feminine and singular. This agreement shows that правильная is describing дата directly. The structure of the sentence is subject (дата) + locative modifier (на письме) + predicate adjective (правильная).

Is it possible to rearrange the words in this sentence without changing its meaning, and what might such variations convey?