Learn Hardcore French: Ce point est important dans le texte.

ce point = this/that point (masculine singular, consonant)
cet is used before masculine singular nouns that start with a vowel or silent h:
- cet homme, cet arbre
cette is used with feminine singular nouns:
- cette idée, cette phrase

Since point is masculine and starts with a consonant, the only correct choice here is ce point.

What does point mean here? Is it a “dot” or something else?

In this sentence, point does not mean a punctuation dot; it means something like:

point / aspect / issue / idea / argument

So Ce point est important dans le texte is closer to:

This point/issue is important in the text.

If you were talking about punctuation specifically, you’d usually specify:

un point final (a full stop / period)
un point d’exclamation (exclamation mark), etc.

Why is it est and not c’est (as in C’est important)?

The structure here is:

Ce point (subject)
est (verb “to be”)
important (adjective)

So we have a normal [noun] + est + [adjective] pattern:

Ce point est important. = This point is important.

C’est is a contraction of ce + est, but it’s used differently:

C’est important. = It’s important. (no explicit noun)
C’est un point important. = It’s an important point.

You cannot say:

✗ C’est point est important.

Once you put a specific noun (point) as the subject, you use Ce point est important, not C’est point…

Why is important masculine and not importante?

Adjectives in French agree with the noun they describe in gender and number.

point is masculine singular → the adjective must also be masculine singular.

The forms of important are:

masculine singular: important
feminine singular: importante
masculine plural: importants
feminine plural: importantes

So we get:

Ce point est important. (masculine singular)
Cette idée est importante. (feminine singular)
Ces points sont importants. (masculine plural)
Ces idées sont importantes. (feminine plural)

Why do we say dans le texte and not just dans texte or en texte?

French almost always needs an article (like le, la, les) before a singular countable noun, even after a preposition.

dans le texte = literally in the text
You need le because texte is a specific, countable thing.

You cannot say:

✗ dans texte (sounds incomplete in French)

As for en:

en texte is not idiomatic; en is used more with languages, materials, or abstract situations: en français, en bois, en retard.
Location inside something concrete is typically dans:
- dans le livre, dans la boîte, dans le texte.

So dans le texte is the natural and correct expression.

Could we also say Ce point du texte est important? What’s the difference?

Both are correct, but the focus is slightly different.

Ce point est important dans le texte.
= This point is important in the text.
You’re saying that this point (which exists in the text) is important within the context of that text.
Ce point du texte est important.
Literally This point of the text is important.
Here you’re emphasizing that the point belongs to or comes from the text (it’s a point from the text).

In many contexts they overlap, but:

du texte (de + le) stresses “of the text / from the text.”
dans le texte stresses “inside the text / within the text.”

How would this sentence look in the plural?

To make it plural, you need to change:

ce → ces (plural demonstrative)
point → points
est → sont
important → importants (agreement with plural noun)

So the plural becomes:

Ces points sont importants dans le texte.
= These points are important in the text.

What’s the word order in this sentence? Could it be rearranged?

The sentence follows standard French word order:

Ce point (subject)
est (verb)
important (adjective / complement)
dans le texte (prepositional phrase: location/context)

So: Subject – Verb – Complement – Extra info

You cannot rearrange it freely the way you sometimes can in English.
For example:

✗ Dans le texte est important ce point. (ungrammatical)
✗ Important est ce point dans le texte. (sounds like bad poetry or Yoda-speak)

Natural options are:

Ce point est important dans le texte.
Dans le texte, ce point est important. (fronting dans le texte for emphasis)

How is the sentence pronounced? Are there any silent letters or liaisons?

Pronunciation details:

Ce → /sə/ (the e is like the weak sound in sofa)
point → /pwɛ̃/
- t is silent
- oi = /wa/ historically, but in point it’s /pwɛ̃/ (nasal vowel)
- n makes the vowel nasal and is then silent
est → /ɛ/
- s and t are silent
important → /ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tɑ̃/
- final t is silent
- final an is nasalized /ɑ̃/
dans → /dɑ̃/ (final s is silent)
le → /lə/
texte → /tɛkst/ (here you do pronounce the final e as part of the -te cluster: /kst/)

In connected speech, you might hear a light linking between point and est, but not a full liaison with t (you don’t pronounce the t):

Ce point est important dans le texte.
≈ /sə pwɛ̃ ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tɑ̃ dɑ̃ lə tɛkst/

Could we say C’est un point important dans le texte instead? Any nuance?

Yes, C’est un point important dans le texte is also correct and natural.

Nuance:

Ce point est important dans le texte.
- You’re pointing to a specific point already clearly identified.
- Literally: This point is important in the text.
C’est un point important dans le texte.
- Slightly more general; you’re classifying it as “an important point.”
- Literally: It is an important point in the text.

In many real situations, both are possible; the first sounds a bit more like you’re already focused on that precise point.