Yes, it can. It's the feminine word for "the". It should be used when describing females such as la amiga, or la chica.
You will also see it used as a direct object pronoun for feminine singular objects. I see the ball> Veo la pelota(la means the here.) >La veo. (La represents the ball here.)
la means the in english
The question "Por que la pregunta mean in English" translates to "Why does the question mean in English?" in English.
What does la cartera mean in spanish
"La joya," means The Jewel in English
La caverne translates to "the cave" in English
"La frase" translates to "the phrase" in English.
La Luz in spanish is "The light" in english.
In English, la falta means he needs.
"La barba" means "the beard" in English.
"La chambre" means "the room" in English.
La sopa means "soup" in English.
"La chuchara" translates to "the spoon" in English.