Learn French: La table est là. - The table is there.

La (without an accent) is the feminine word for the. Là (with a grave accent) is a word meaning there or here. They sound exactly the same when spoken, but the written accent mark changes the meaning entirely!

This lesson talks about dropping the vowel to make l'. Why doesn't that happen here?

That vowel dropping (called elision) only happens when the definite article is directly followed by a word starting with a vowel sound or a silent h. Since table begins with a consonant, la stays exactly as it is.

Why do we use est in this sentence?

Est means is. It comes from the verb être (to be) and is the form used for he, she, or it. Since la table is a singular object, we use est.