Russian first names are fairly standard, and almost all of them have typical nickname versions - think "Jimmy" for "James" or "Trish" for "Patricia". The difference from English is that it's fairly unheard of to have the nickname version as your official first name. But it's the nickname that you will want to use most often with people you address as ты (the singular "you"). In fact, it can sound outright weird if you call your good buddy Владимир instead of Вова - even if he's Владимир in all his documents. On the other hand, the full first name can be used alone in a pinch when you have to address someone as Вы (the plural "you") but don't happen to know their patronymic. This audio features examples of the singular and plural "you" being used, as well some of the most common names and their nickname versions.
