> The French equivalents for here and there are ici and là respectively. But if I point to a pen and say, “The pen is here,” the French equivalent is not “Le stylo est ici,” but “Le stylo est là.” In French, là is always used to refer to a specific place or position, while in English here or there can both work.

Well... it depends.

If both speakers are in front of a pen and one points to the pen she'll say "le stylo est là" -- that part's true.

But if you're in another part of a big house and someone yells "where is the pen", and the pen is with you in this remote room, you can yell back "le stylo est ici", meaning "it's here with me".