Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): El pasillo está lleno de estudiantes que buscan un asiento. - The hallway is full of students looking for a seat.

Está lleno de literally means “is full of” and emphasizes that the hallway is packed. Using hay (“there is/there are”) would simply state existence—Hay muchos estudiantes en el pasillo—but wouldn’t convey the idea of the space being completely full.

Why is the preposition de used after lleno, and not con?

In Spanish, the standard construction for “to be full of” is lleno de. You might see relleno con when talking about filling pastries or toys, but for spaces or containers we always use de: una caja llena de libros, una sala llena de gente, etc.

Why is asiento singular when talking about many students?

Each student is looking for one seat individually, so Spanish uses the singular: que buscan un asiento (“who are looking for a seat”). If you wanted to say they’re looking for multiple seats collectively, you could use the plural: buscan asientos.

Why do we use que buscan instead of the gerund buscando?

Both are possible:

estudiantes que buscan un asiento uses a relative clause introduced by que, which is clear and formal.
estudiantes buscando un asiento is a reduced clause with a gerund, more colloquial and concise. It shifts the focus slightly to the ongoing action, but the meaning remains very similar.

Can pasillo also mean “corridor” or “aisle,” and when would you use each translation?

Pasillo can be translated as “hallway,” “corridor,” or “aisle,” depending on context. In a school or house you say “hallway.” In office buildings or hotels “corridor” works. In airplanes, theaters, or supermarkets you’d call it an “aisle.”

Could we say El pasillo está repleto de estudiantes instead of lleno?

Yes. Repleto de is a synonym of lleno de and slightly more emphatic or formal. Both convey that the hallway is packed with students.