La or Lui?

Question

In these examples:
Je peux la rencontrer aujourd'hui.I can meet her today.
Nous allons lui parler.We are going to talk to her.
I dont understand why "her" is "la" in the first and lui and the second. When to use la or lui for feminine?

Accepted Answer

French distinguishes between direct (le/la/les) and indirect object pronouns (lui/leur). In English, this distinction is lost and both types of pronouns are (him/her/it/them). The giveaway that you're dealing with an indirect object is that you'll find a preposition preceding it.
Je mange la pomme -- Je la mange. (I eat it)La pomme, and its pronoun la, are of the direct object version.
Je parle à Ella. -- Je lui parle. (I talk to her)À Ella, and the corresponding indirect object pronoun lui, are rendered in English as "to her". The indication that it's an indirect object pronoun is the preposition à in French and "to" in English. Note, though, that the preposition is absent when using the pronoun (lui).