Learn Hardcore French: Elle va à la maison.

In French, maison is a feminine noun, so it requires the feminine article la. Since à (meaning "to" or "at") is followed by the feminine article la, you get à la. If the noun were masculine, like bureau (desk/office), you would say au bureau, because à + le contracts to au.

Why do we use Elle here? Can we replace it with Il?

Elle means "she" and is specifically for a female subject in French. Il means "he" or can also be used for a masculine or sometimes impersonal subject. Since the subject is female (or feminine), we use Elle rather than Il.

What is the difference between a and à in writing?

Without the accent, a is a form of the verb avoir (meaning "has"). With the accent, à usually means "to" or "at." They sound different too: a (as in "ah") versus à (with a slightly more open "ah" sound in most French accents), though the difference can be subtle.

Why do we say va and not vas in this sentence?

Va is the third-person singular form of aller (to go), used with il/elle/on. Vas is the second-person singular form (used with tu). Since the sentence’s subject is Elle, we need the il/elle/on form, so we use va.

Can we say Elle rentre à la maison instead of Elle va à la maison?

Yes, but they are slightly different in meaning and nuance. Elle va à la maison simply means "She goes/is going home," focusing on the act of going. Elle rentre à la maison implies coming back to where she lives, often translated as "She is coming back home" or "She is returning home." They’re both correct but convey slightly different contexts.