When to use là and when to use y

Frank C.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

When to use là and when to use y

In the last sentence, "I will go there to cheer you on.", the word 'there' is translated as 'là' and the use of 'y' was not accepted.  Is it just a question of emphasis?  I searched for a lesson to clarify the usage of 'y' and 'là' but was not successful.  I would appreciate your thoughts.   Thanks.

Asked 4 months ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Frank, 

Good question! 

The pronoun 'y' replaces a place named previously to avoid repetition and in this exercise, the specific meeting place is not mentioned at any stage unlike in the following example:

Tu vas à la banque ?  ---> oui, j'y vais tout de suite 

The adverb 'là' is here or there and just indicates a location.

Je serai là pour t'encourager = I'll be there to cheer you on

You might point at a specific place but not name it and say to someone looking for their book -

Ton livre est là ! Your book's here!

Hope this helps!

 

 

Frank C. asked:

When to use là and when to use y

In the last sentence, "I will go there to cheer you on.", the word 'there' is translated as 'là' and the use of 'y' was not accepted.  Is it just a question of emphasis?  I searched for a lesson to clarify the usage of 'y' and 'là' but was not successful.  I would appreciate your thoughts.   Thanks.

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