Learn Hardcore French: Ce dossier est important; je le range près de mon ordinateur. - This folder is important; I put it away near my computer.

ce before a masculine noun starting with a consonant: ce dossier
cet before a masculine noun starting with a vowel or mute h: cet ordinateur, cet homme
cette before any feminine singular noun: cette affaire
ces for plurals: ces dossiers, ces affaires

What does dossier mean here? Is it a paper folder, a computer file, or something else?

In everyday French, un dossier is a folder or a case file (physical or figurative).
In computing, un dossier = a folder/directory; a computer file is un fichier.
A slim paper folder is often une chemise. Given the phrase près de mon ordinateur, it likely means a physical folder being put near the computer.

What exactly does ranger mean? Could I use mettre or placer instead?

ranger = to put away, tidy, store in its proper place (implies order/organization).
mettre = to put/place (very general).
placer = to position/place (more formal/literal). So you could say Je le mets or Je le place, but Je le range suggests you’re tidying or storing it where it belongs. classer means to file/classify.

Why is it je le range and not je range le?

Object pronouns go before the conjugated verb in French.

Affirmative: Je le range.
Negation: Je ne le range pas.
Two-verb structures: pronoun before the infinitive: Je vais le ranger. / Je veux le ranger.
Imperative: Range-le ! (negative: Ne le range pas !)

Why le and not lui, y, or en?

le: direct object (masc. sing.) → Je le range (I put it away).
lui: indirect object (to him/her; usually people) → Je lui parle.
y: replaces a place or à + thing → J’y vais. / J’y pense.
en: replaces de + noun or a quantity → J’en parle. Here, dossier is the direct object → le. You can combine with a place pronoun: Je l’y range (I put it there). Pronoun order: me/te/se/nous/vous + le/la/les + lui/leur + y + en + verb.

Does je le range mean I put it away or I’m putting it away?

Both. French present can express both the simple present and the present progressive. Context tells you which.

Why près de and not just près? Can I use proche de or à côté de?

près de = near/close to (requires de before a noun): près de mon ordinateur.
proche de = close to; fine with places/people, a bit more formal/literary in some uses: proche de la gare.
à côté de = next to/beside (immediate adjacency). Don’t say près mon ordinateur; the de is required. Also, don’t confuse près (near) with prêt (ready).

Why not près du mon ordinateur? How do contractions with de work here?

de only contracts with definite articles:

de + le → du: près du bureau
de + les → des: près des fenêtres
de + l’ → de l’: près de l’ordinateur With possessives (mon/ton/son…), there’s no contraction: près de mon ordinateur (not du mon).

Is ordinateur masculine or feminine? Is mon used for euphony here?

ordinateur is masculine, so mon ordinateur is required. The mon here is not for euphony. The euphonic mon before a feminine noun happens only when the noun starts with a vowel sound (e.g., mon amie).

How does agreement work with important and with the past participle rangé?

Adjective agreement:
- Masc. sg.: Ce dossier est important.
- Fem. sg.: Cette affaire est importante.
- Plural: Ces dossiers sont importants. / Ces affaires sont importantes.
Past participle with avoir agrees with a preceding direct object:
- Masc. sg.: Je l’ai rangé. (refers to le dossier)
- Fem. sg.: Je l’ai rangée. (refers to la clé)
- Plural: Je les ai rangés / rangées.

How is the semicolon used in French, and is the spacing correct?

A semicolon links two closely related independent clauses—stronger than a comma, lighter than a period. It fits here to show reason/result. French typography normally uses a (thin, non‑breaking) space before ;, :, ?, !. So formal styling prefers: important ; je…. In casual digital text, that space is often omitted.

Any useful pronunciation tips for this sentence?

je le range: the e’s are reduced; roughly “zhuh luh rawnzh.”
est important: there’s liaison; pronounce the t of est → “eh tɛ̃-port-ɑ̃.”
près de: open “è” in près; final s silent.
dossier: “dos-yay” (final r not pronounced).
ordinateur: often shortened in speech to ordi.

Could I repeat the noun instead of using the pronoun?

Yes: Je range ce dossier près de mon ordinateur. Using le avoids repetition when the noun is already known: Ce dossier est important; je le range… Both are correct.

Can I move the place phrase around?

Yes, as long as the object pronoun stays before the verb:

Neutral: Je le range près de mon ordinateur.
Fronting for emphasis: Près de mon ordinateur, je le range.
With a place pronoun: Je l’y range.

Is arranger a good synonym for ranger here?

No. arranger means to arrange/fix/suit: Ça m’arrange (That works for me), J’arrange les fleurs. To mean “put away/tidy,” use ranger.

Could I use ça instead of le for it?

Colloquially, yes: Je range ça près de mon ordinateur. It’s informal and doesn’t reflect grammatical gender. le is the standard direct-object pronoun matching le dossier.

Why Ce dossier est important and not C’est un dossier important or C’est important?

All are possible, with different focus:

Ce dossier est important: identifies a specific file and states its quality.
C’est un dossier important: natural in speech when introducing it as a category.
C’est important: a general judgment about the situation, not tied to a specific noun.