Экскурсия по Брюсселю: Гран-плас, Атомиум и вафли

What is “pisayushchiy malchik” (Manneken Pis in Russian)?

Touring Brussels, the vlogger reaches the city’s star attraction: «Главная знаменитость Брюсселя — писающий мальчик» (“Brussels’s main celebrity is the peeing boy”). Писающий мальчик is simply Russian for the Manneken Pis, the little bronze fountain-statue of a boy relieving himself.

There’s a grammar treat hiding here: писающий (“peeing”) comes from писать. Shift the stress and писа́ть (“to pee”) turns into пи́сать (“to write”), a notorious trap for learners. The vlog warns that tourists expect something grand, but the statue is only toddler-sized. Brussels in three words: waffles, fries, and a famous little boy.