Breakdown of Il bancone del bar era pieno di gente.
essere
to be
pieno
full
la gente
the people
il bar
the bar / the cafe
Questions & Answers about Il bancone del bar era pieno di gente.
Why use bancone here instead of just banco?
Bancone is the augmentative form of banco (counter or desk). Adding the -one suffix implies a large, long, or substantial counter, which is exactly what you would find in a busy Italian bar.
The translation says "cafe's counter", but the Italian word is bar. Is that a mistake?
Not at all! In Italy, a bar is primarily a daytime place you go for your morning espresso and a pastry, though they do serve alcohol. The English word "cafe" is usually the most accurate translation for a typical Italian bar.
Why do we use di here instead of con for "full of"?
In Italian, the adjective pieno (full) consistently takes the preposition di to indicate what it is full of, mirroring the English "full of". You cannot use con (with) here, even though English speakers sometimes think of a room being "filled with" people.