Learn Hardcore Filipino: Masaya ako sa regalo mo ngayon.

In this sentence, sa is a general preposition that can roughly correspond to with, about, because of, or at in English, depending on context.

In Masaya ako sa regalo mo ngayon, sa regalo mo means “because of / with / about your gift.”
It marks the thing that is causing the emotion.

Many emotion or feeling words in Filipino commonly use sa to mark what they are about:

Masaya ako sa iyo. – I’m happy with/about you.
Galit siya sa akin. – He/She is angry at me.
Naiinggit ako sa kanya. – I am jealous of him/her.

So here, sa introduces the phrase that explains what you are happy about: the gift.

Why is the word order Masaya ako and not Ako ay masaya?

Filipino usually puts the predicate first and the subject afterward.

Masaya ako. – Predicate (masaya, “happy”) first, then subject (ako, “I”).
Ako ay masaya. – Subject (ako) first, then the linker/marker ay, then the predicate.

Both are grammatically correct, but:

Masaya ako is more natural and conversational.
Ako ay masaya sounds more formal, a bit bookish or sometimes emphatic.

In everyday spoken Filipino, you will hear Masaya ako sa regalo mo ngayon much more often than Ako ay masaya sa regalo mo ngayon.

Where is the verb “am” in this sentence? Why is there no word for “am”?

Filipino does not usually use a separate verb “to be” (am/is/are) in sentences like this.

Instead:

An adjective can directly function as the predicate.
The pronoun (ako) can directly follow the adjective predicate.

So:

Masaya ako. literally: “Happy I.” → understood as “I am happy.”

There is no need for a separate verb like “am”. The relationship “X is Y” is simply expressed by putting the predicate before the subject:

Guro siya. – (Teacher he/she.) → “He/She is a teacher.”
Pagod kami. – (Tired we.) → “We are tired.”

Is masaya an adjective or a verb in Filipino?

Masaya is an adjective meaning “happy”.

However, Filipino adjectives can directly serve as predicates, so they sometimes feel “verb-like” from an English speaker’s perspective, because they don’t need “to be”:

Masaya ako. – “I am happy.”
Pagod siya. – “He/She is tired.”
Handa na kami. – “We are already ready.”

So grammatically it is an adjective, but it functions as the main predicate of the sentence, filling the role that “am happy” fills in English.

What exactly does regalo mo mean, and why is mo after regalo?

Regalo mo literally means “your gift”.

regalo – gift, present
mo – an enclitic pronoun meaning “your / you” (2nd person singular, informal; genitive/possessive form)

In Filipino, short pronouns like ko, mo, niya, namin, ninyo usually come after the noun they modify when they show possession:

libro ko – my book
kotse mo – your car
bahay niya – his/her house

So regalo mo follows the natural pattern [noun] + [possessive pronoun] = “your gift.”

Why isn’t there an ang before regalo (like ang regalo mo)?

In sa regalo mo, the word sa already functions as a marker/preposition for the phrase, so you do not add ang there.

Compare:

Ang regalo mo – “your gift” as a topic/subject phrase.
Sa regalo mo – “with/about/because of your gift” as an oblique/prepositional phrase.

You normally don’t stack sa and ang together before the same noun:

✔ Sa regalo mo – correct
✘ Sa ang regalo mo – incorrect

In this sentence, we don’t need ang regalo mo as a separate subject; instead, we need a prepositional phrase describing what you’re happy about, so we use sa regalo mo.

What does ngayon mean here: “now” or “today”? And where can it go in the sentence?

Ngayon can mean both “now” and “today”, depending on context. In Masaya ako sa regalo mo ngayon, it is naturally understood as:

“I am happy with your gift today.” – either because you just received it today, or you are expressing your gratitude today.

It can also be interpreted as “now (at this time)” in contrast to some other time (e.g., maybe you weren’t happy before, but now you are).

About position: ngayon is flexible. You can say:

Masaya ako sa regalo mo ngayon.
Masaya ako ngayon sa regalo mo.
Ngayon, masaya ako sa regalo mo.

All are understandable. The most neutral, conversational version is the original: Masaya ako sa regalo mo ngayon.

Can I drop ako and just say Masaya sa regalo mo ngayon?

You can, but it depends on context, and it may sound incomplete on its own.

In a full, stand‑alone sentence, Masaya ako sa regalo mo ngayon is the natural way to say “I am happy with your gift today.”
If someone has just asked about you (e.g., Masaya ka ba sa regalo ko? – “Are you happy with my gift?”), then replying Masaya sa regalo mo ngayon can work because ako (“I”) is already understood.

However, without that context, Masaya sa regalo mo ngayon feels like something is missing. For learners, it’s safer and more natural to keep the pronoun:

Masaya ako sa regalo mo ngayon.

Could I also say Ako ay masaya sa regalo mo ngayon? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, Ako ay masaya sa regalo mo ngayon is grammatically correct and has the same basic meaning: “I am happy with your gift today.”

The difference is in style and emphasis:

Masaya ako sa regalo mo ngayon. – everyday, conversational, neutral.
Ako ay masaya sa regalo mo ngayon. – more formal, or with stronger emphasis on “I” (as in “As for me, I am happy with your gift today.”).

In ordinary spoken Filipino, people overwhelmingly use Masaya ako… rather than Ako ay masaya….

How would I say this more politely or formally, for example to an older person or someone I respect?

To sound more polite or respectful, you can:

Add po, a politeness particle.
Use ninyo (your – plural/formal) instead of mo (your – singular/informal).

Polite version:

Masaya po ako sa regalo ninyo ngayon.

If you are talking to only one older/respected person, ninyo is still used as the polite “your.” This sentence keeps the same meaning but sounds more respectful.

If I want to say “I’m happy for you” instead of “I’m happy with your gift,” do I still use sa?

Yes, but the phrase will change slightly:

Masaya ako para sa iyo. – “I am happy for you.”

Notes:

para sa – “for (the benefit of)”
iyo – a more complete form of you (oblique case); sa iyo and sayo are common in speech.

So:

Masaya ako sa regalo mo. – I am happy with/about your gift.
Masaya ako para sa iyo. – I am happy for you.

Both use sa, but in different constructions: sa regalo mo versus para sa iyo.