When to use là and when to use y

Question

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.

Accepted 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!