la vs là vs l'a
Summary
Three words pronounced /la/ are constantly confused in writing: la (the article or object pronoun), là (the adverb "there", written with a grave accent), and l'a (the elided pronoun l'/la plus the verb form a, "has"). A quick test tells them apart.
Explanation
French has three homophones written /la/ that sound identical but do completely different grammatical work: la, là and l'a. Because they cannot be told apart by ear, the distinction is purely orthographic — and getting it right is a classic marker of careful writing. The good news is that each has a reliable substitution test.
la (no accent) is by far the most common. It is the feminine definite article (la table — the table, la France) and the feminine direct-object pronoun placed before a verb (Tu vois la voiture ? — Oui, je la vois — yes, I see it; Je la connais — I know her). In both uses it is unstressed and leans on a following noun or verb.
là (grave accent) is an adverb of place meaning "there" (or, loosely, "here"): Reste là (stay there), Qui est là ? (who's there?), C'est là que j'habite (that's where I live). It also reinforces demonstratives as the enclitic -là: celui-là (that one), ce jour-là (that day), cette maison-là. The accent is what visibly separates the "place / that-one" word from the neutral article.
l'a is not one word but three elements written together: the elided object pronoun l' (= le or la) followed by a, the third-person singular of avoir ("has"). It appears inside a compound tense, so it is almost always followed by a past participle: Il l'a vu (he saw it/him), Elle l'a pris (she took it), On l'a compris (we understood it). The apostrophe is the giveaway that a verb, not a place, is involved.
Two substitution tests resolve almost every case, and they exploit the fact that homophones behave differently when you change the sentence. To check l'a, put the verb in another tense: if "…l'avait vu" or "…l'aura vu" still works, you have the pronoun + avoir, so write l'a (il l'a vu → il l'avait vu). To check là, ask whether the word points to a place or means "that one/that": if you can replace it with ici or attach it to celui-, write là. Otherwise you are left with the neutral article/pronoun la.
Rule of thumb for English speakers: is it followed by a past participle (has done something)? → l'a. Does it mean "there" or reinforce "that one" (celui-là, ce jour-là)? → là. Is it just "the" or the object "it/her" leaning on a noun or verb? → la, no accent, no apostrophe.
Examples
La table est dans la cuisine. — The table is in the kitchen. (la = feminine definite article (twice).)
Cette chanson ? Je la connais bien. — That song? I know it well. (la = feminine direct-object pronoun before the verb.)
Assieds-toi là, près de la fenêtre. — Sit there, by the window. (là = adverb of place (accent grave); contrast with la fenêtre right after.)
Il l'a vue hier au marché. — He saw her yesterday at the market. (l'a = pronoun l' + a (avoir), followed by the past participle; test: il l'avait vue.)
Je préfère celui-là. — I prefer that one. (Enclitic -là reinforcing the demonstrative celui.)
On l'a compris tout de suite. — We understood it right away. (l'a before a past participle again; test: on l'avait compris.)
Common mistakes
Il la vu la, sur la table.
Il l'a vu là, sur la table.
Three homophones pronounced /la/ are being blurred. « la » (no accent) is the article/direct-object pronoun (la table; je la vois). « là » (grave accent) is the adverb "there" or a demonstrative reinforcer (celui-là). « l'a » is the elided pronoun l'/la plus a (the verb avoir), used before a past participle: il l'a vu = he saw it. The decision rule: followed by a past participle -> l'a; means a place or "that one" -> là; otherwise the neutral article/pronoun -> la.
Related rules
homophonesspellingpronounsconfusables