Learn Italian: Il mio nome è italiano, ma il mio cognome è inglese. - My first name is Italian, but my last name is English.

In Italian, you almost always need to use a definite article (like il or la) before a possessive adjective. So instead of just saying 'my name', you literally say 'the my name' (il mio nome).

Nome and cognome both end in -e. How do we know to use the masculine il mio instead of the feminine la mia?

Nouns that end in -e can be either masculine or feminine. You just have to memorize their gender when you learn them! Both nome and cognome happen to be masculine, which is why we use il mio for both of them.

Does nome mean 'name' or 'first name'?

It can mean both! When used by itself, nome usually refers to your full name or just your general name. But when it is paired with cognome (last name) like in this sentence, nome specifically means your first name.

Why does italiano end in -o while inglese ends in -e?