On a sunny afternoon, I enjoy sitting on a wooden bench in a remote corner of my garden, reading a good book. It’s not the most comfortable piece of furniture, and yet I feel very cosy and relaxed.
So, what is the Italian word for bench? The answer is: it depends!
A bench without a back rest is called “la panca.” Another word for it is “la banca.”
“La banca” (feminine) or “il banco” (masculine) are also the origin of the English word “bank” as Italian money changers in the medieval period used benches to pile their coins on and do their business.
A bench with a back rest is called “la panchina.”
— Image by Manfred Antranias Zimmer from Pixabay
Different Kinds of Bench in Italian
There are all kinds of benches, here are some examples.
| English Expressions | Italian Translations | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| the bench | la panca / la panchina / la banca | feminine |
| beer bench | la panca della birra | feminine |
| church bench | la banco della chiesa | feminine |
| corner bench | la panchina d’angolo | feminine |
| garden bench | la panchina del giardino | feminine |
| park bench | la panchina del parco | feminine |
| penalty bench | la panca delle penalità | feminine |
| seating bench | la panchina | feminine |
| stove bench | la panca accanto alla stufa / la panchina della stufa | feminine |
| window bench | la panca della finestra | feminine |
| wooden bench | la panchina di legno | feminine |
Example Sentences
Ho comprato una nuova panchina di legno per il mio giardino. — I bought a new wooden bench for my backyard.
Riposiamoci un po’ sulla panchina del parco! — Let’s rest there on the park bench for a while!
Work Benches in Italian
Besides benches to sit on, there are other also those benches to work at. They are usually described with the Italian word “banco”, which is masculine.
| English Expressions | Italian Translations | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| draw bench | il banco di estrazione | masculine |
| drilling bench | il banco di foratura | masculine |
| joiner’s bench | il banco da falegname | masculine |
| laboratory bench | il banco da laboratorio | masculine |
| measuring bench | il banco di misura | masculine |
| planing bench | il banco di piallatura | masculine |
| repair bench | il banco di riparazione | masculine |
| saw bench | il banco della sega | masculine |
| service bench | il banco di servizio | masculine |
| test bench | il banco di prova | masculine |
| welding bench | il banco di saldatura | masculine |
| work bench | il banco di lavoro | masculine |
Example Sentences
Il banco sega deve essere pulito, è pieno di trucioli di legno. — The saw bench needs cleaning, it is full of wood chips.
In un angolo remoto del suo laboratorio si trovava un vecchio banco di sega, che oggi usava raramente. — In a remote corner of his workshop stood an old saw bench, which he rarely used nowadays.
Conclusion
There are four different expressions for the English word bench in Italian — who would have thought?
