Экскурсия по Брюсселю: Гран-плас, Атомиум и вафли
B1 Russian listening practice · Russian · Picked for people who know some
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.
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Harder words in this video
These words are harder than B1. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · OpenSubtitles 2018 (HermitDave) (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸On any Brussels city tour: the Atomium, the Grand-Place, and the little statue itself (visit.brussels).
- ▸In Russian-language travel vlogs and guides to Belgium and Europe.
- ▸The classic Russian stress trap: писа́ть (to pee) versus пи́сать (to write).
- ▸In Russian foodie talk about Belgian frites and вафли (waffles), plus the Pulp Fiction mayonnaise gag the vlogger recalls.