It’s been really nice to read all those essays of yours and to see that someone is finally giving some reasonable explanations on how to write a great essay! Therefore, I decided to join in and to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere that I’ve witnessed so far! Nice to meet you!
Elena Uzunova
Hi Elena Uzunova!You and I share the same name 
Besides posting the essays you have a good opportunity to learn more about English. Looking forward to hearing from you again!
There’s a little difference between Helen and Elena, but thanks for the warm welcoming! I also hope to see a lot of you around in the future. All the best!
P.S. I see that we come from the same time zone! Which country do you come from?
Hello Elena,
Glad to see you’ve jumped aboard! Did you jump in with two feet or did you give it careful consideration first 
?
Anyway, let’s hope you find it a good place to share your experiences, thoughts, questions, ideas, etc.
PS: Would Elenushka be a diminutive of Elena? In English you’d be a Nell or Nellie and in Spanish an ‘Elenita’.
Hi Elena Uzunova!You and I share the same name you Elena and I Hercules … :shock:
Sorry…I was joking… :lol: :lol:
anyway …This is Herc from Syria and I so glad to see you here with us ,and be sure that you will find good and great friends (Like me :lol: :lol: ) …and like Pamela and [size=150][color=orange]Conchita[/size] and others and others…
Best wishes…
Herc
Thanks for the warm welcoming, people! I’m glad to have found such great friends like you!
Thanks for the valuable information, Conchita! Elenushka is a Russian way to say Elena and to express the warm that you feel towards someone. Just like in Spanish (Pedro- Pedrito). It is used to adress young children, people who are younger than you or just close friends.
P.S. Nellie is used in Bulgaria as a different from Elena name. I have lots of friends whose name is Nellie.
Hi Elena and welcome!
Usual and ‘official’ Russian pet name(s) for Elena are Lena and Lenochka. They could be used even among colleagues.
Hello Elena and Tamara, welcome. Tamara, do you mean pet names or nicknames?
Poka
Slava
Hello Slava
Or?
What I meant was (first) a diminutive and/or (second) ‘a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or thing’s real name’.
If you ask Wikipedia for ‘pet name’, it just redirects you to ‘nickname’.
But I prefer to use ‘nickname’ only in the sense ‘кличка’ or ‘прозвище’. Or for those strings of characters we choose and use on the Internet to present ourselves 
Tamara
Hello Tamara, thank you very much for explaining this. What I was confused about was the word pet name because when I googled it there were a lot of websites about pets and their names instead of people. But now that you have explained it, I understand that a pet name can also be used for people.
Thank you again – Slava
Then how do you believe is called when you need to show your attachment and warmth towards someone called Elena? In Bulgaria, we usually use Eli.
Hello Slava
Yes, ‘pet’ is used not only for animals, but can be said about a person or even a (favourite) thing.
Also, I know two funny expressions with ‘pet’:
to be a party pet = to be in the focus of attention
my pet peeve = любимая мозоль
Hi Elena
It depends on the creativity
What I heard are: Alёna (pronounced as Al’ona with soft l) – but Alena in Russian can also can be another full name!,
Neli or Nelly,
and lots of informal derivatives produced by applying Russian hypocoristic/endearment suffixes - like Lenusik, Lenok, Lenchik, etc (I suppose, most Russian Elenas hate them :)).
Tamara
Thanks, Tamara! In Bulgaria, we have a nickname that is used for Elena that is Lenche. This is extremely unpleasant so I see clearly what you mean 
It’s a bit similar to the German diminutive for the same name ‘Lenchen’ or ‘Elenchen’. I have a cousin called Elena and we simply call her Leni. In French, L?l?ne would be short for H?l?ne. Our collection is growing !
My, what a simple name can do!
PS: And how about El, Lenka or the Italian Linuccia?
I think that I wouldn’t like anything that begins with L Elena, Elenushka, Ellie, El- these all work. Among those that begin with E, I don’t like only [Eliena]- that’s the way Russians pronounce it. It’s definitely awful! Any way different from the English(and Bulgarian, too, they are the same) to pronounce my name sounds like an unsuccessful attempt for a squirrel to escape from a trap. The metaphore is incorrect, I believe, but that’s what it feels like.
This diphthong is the opposite of the one that would be used in English! Russian: [eliena]; English: [elein9].
:lol:
Hi all,
ElenaUzunova, sorry for the late response but my Internet connection left much to be desired. I’m from South Ossetia. Do you know it? All of you proved that diminutives of Elena are plenty
Conchita’s diminutives are nice and new for me. By the way, Conchita, I knew that in England my name sounds like Helen, about Nell or Nellie I’ve learned just now due to your information.
Pamela, that’s in Georgia, right? Sorry, I’m from Eastern Europe (Bulgaria). I thought you were in the timezone GMT+3?
South Ossetia is an independent and unrecognized Republic.
Sorry about that. I must have been misleaded.