May
Existence
The word "may" can be used to show that something exists. It works like "there is" and "there are." For example, "There's a storm." The sentence format is: May + The Object
Examples:
"There's a storm." — "May bagyo." (storm = bagyo)
"There's a storm in Iloilo." — "May bagyo sa Iloilo."
"There's a goat that's angry." — "May kanding nga akig." (angry = akig; goat = kanding)
"There are two people." — "May duha ka tawo." (person = tawo)
(The words ari, arâ, and adto act similarly, but they include a location like "here" and "there". "May" does not include a location.)
Possession
May can also be used to say that someone has something. It works like "have" and "has." For example, "He has a car." The format is: May + The Object + The Owner
Examples:
"He has a car." — "May salakyan siya." (car = salakyan)
"Stevie has rice." — "May bugas Si Stevie" (uncooked rice = bugas)
"The group has a new leader." — "May bag-o nga pangulo ang grupo." (new = bag-o; leader = pangulo; group = grupo)
Advanced Notes
Sentence Order
There are times when you may want to change the order of the sentence.
Emphasis: With "may" sentences, you can emphasize either the object or the person who has the object (the "subject"). The standard usage (may + the object + the owner) emphasizes the object, like in the sentence: "May ubas ako." (grapes = ubas) If you have just purchased some grapes from the market, it would make sense to emphasize the object, because that's what's interesting about the sentence. This is what you would do most of the time.
Sometimes the person is the more interesting/important part of the sentence. For example, if someone asks, "Who has the grapes?" and the answer is "Amy has the grapes" the person is the most interesting/important part of the sentence. To emphasize Amy, you would put her first, before the object: "Si Amy may ubas."
Long Subject: Another time you may want to change the order is when the subject is long. "I have a burger" has a short subject ("I"), so you can use the standard format of "May burger ako." However, in the sentence "My next-door neighbor's friend has a burger," there is a long subject ("My next-door neighbor's friend"). In this case it is more common to put the long subject first, as in "Ang 'migo sang akon tupad-balay may burger." (friend = amigo/'migo, next-door neighbor = tupad-balay)
Tense
Past, present, and future tense work the same way for "may" sentences. By default, if you say, "May pungkoan sila" (chair = punkgoan), that will be considered present tense. However, you can add context to change it to past or present tense.
Examples:
"They have a chair." — "May pungkoan sila."
"They had a chair yesterday." — "May pungkoan sila gahapon." (yesterday = gahapon)
"They will have a chair tomorrow." — "May pungkoan sila buwas." (tomorrow = buwas)
Possession with Adjectives
When the object a person possesses has an adjective attached to it, the sentence can be ordered a few different ways.
"I have tasty fruit." — "May namit nga prutas ako." (prutas = fruit, namit = yummy/good tasting)
Or, the adjective and object can be split up on each side of the owner, as follows:
"May namit ko nga prutas."
"May prutas ko nga namit."
Dropping May
When the adjective "many" (damô) is used, the word "may" is often dropped.
"I have many pens." (bolpen = pen)
Full & Formal: "May damô ko nga bolpen."
Short & Casual: "Damô ko bolpen."