là - French Definition & Examples

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là

/la/

adverb

there

here

in that place

Je t'attends là, devant le cinéma.

I'll wait for you there, in front of the cinema.

Synonyms:ici, là-bas, y

adverb

now

at this point

in this situation (spoken/discourse marker)

Là, franchement, je ne sais pas quoi te dire.

Honestly, at this point I don't know what to tell you.

Synonyms:maintenant, à présent, à ce stade

Notes

GENERAL INFO

là is an adverb meaning "there" or "here" (often for emphasis). It indicates location or time.

USAGE

It’s commonly used to pinpoint a location: "C'est juste là." (It's right there.) or "Viens là!" (Come here!). It also combines with demonstratives: "celui-là" (that one), "ce jour-là" (that day).

TRAPS

Do not confuse là (adverb, with accent) with "la" (feminine definite article, without accent). "Regarde là." (Look there.) vs. "La table." (The table.)