Breakdown of Он кладёт письмо.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
письмо
letter
класть
to put, lay (flat)
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Questions & Answers about Он кладёт письмо.
Why didn't the word письмо change its ending if it's the direct object?
Because письмо is an inanimate neuter noun. In Russian, neuter nouns (which usually end in -о or -е) don't change their endings when they are the direct object of an action (the accusative case). They look exactly the same as their dictionary form!
Where did the д and ё come from in кладёт?
The dictionary form of this verb is класть (to put or to lay). This is an irregular verb that changes its core stem when conjugated. The stem becomes клад-, and because the stress falls on the ending, it takes -ёт instead of -ет for the "he/she/it" form.
Can кладёт just mean "puts", or does it have to be "lays down"?
It can translate simply as "puts". However, Russian is very specific about how things are placed. You use класть when putting something down flat horizontally (like a letter on a table). If you were standing an object up vertically, you would use a completely different verb!
How does the soft sign (ь) affect the pronunciation of письмо?
The soft sign has no sound of its own, but it makes the consonant right before it (the с) "soft". This means you pronounce the с with the middle of your tongue raised toward the roof of your mouth, adding a very slight "y" sound between the с and the м.