Maliit lang ang sukli, pero may barya pa ako sa pitaka.

Yes, maliit literally means small, but in this sentence it refers to the amount of the change, not physical size.

So Maliit lang ang sukli means something like:

• The change is only a small amount
• The change isn’t much

With money, Filipino often uses size words like maliit and malaki to talk about amount.

Lang means only, just, or simply. It softens or limits what is being said.

So:

• maliit = small
• maliit lang = just small / only a small amount

Here it gives the sense of it’s not much.

Also, lang is a shortened form of lamang, which is more formal.

Filipino often puts the predicate first. That means the description comes before the thing being described.

So:

• Maliit lang ang sukli = literally Small only the change
• natural English = The change is only small

This predicate-first order is very common in Filipino. You could also say:

• Ang sukli ay maliit lang

but it sounds a bit more formal or marked.

Ang is a marker that highlights the topic or main noun of the sentence.

In Maliit lang ang sukli:

• maliit lang = the comment or description
• ang sukli = the thing being talked about

So ang sukli is the change as the topic of the sentence.

They are related, but not the same.

• sukli = change you get back after paying
• barya = coins, small change, or loose change

So:

• sukli is about the result of a transaction
• barya is about the money itself, especially coins or small denominations

In this sentence:

• Maliit lang ang sukli = The change is only a small amount
• may barya pa ako = but I still have some coins / loose change

May means there is/there are or have/has, depending on the sentence.

In may barya pa ako sa pitaka, it means:

• I still have coins in my wallet
• more literally, There are still coins with me in the wallet

This is a very common Filipino pattern:

• May pera ako = I have money
• May kotse siya = He/She has a car

The full form is ako, which means I. In casual speech, many speakers pronounce it more like 'ko in fast conversation, but the standard written form here is ako.

So:

• standard: may barya pa ako
• casual speech: you may hear something closer to may barya pa 'ko

Both point to the same pronoun, but ako is the safe standard form to learn and write.

That is a very common learner question.

After may, Filipino normally uses the nominative pronoun set:

• ako
• ka
• siya
• kami / tayo
• kayo
• sila

So you say:

• May pera ako = I have money
• May tanong siya = He/She has a question

You do not say May pera ko.

By contrast, ko is used in other structures, such as possession inside a noun phrase:

• ang pitaka ko = my wallet

So in this sentence:

• may barya pa ako = I still have coins
• sa pitaka ko would mean = in my wallet

Pa often means still, yet, or in addition.

Here it gives the sense that, despite the small change, there is something more available:

• may barya pa ako = I still have coins
• or I have some coins too

Because the sentence has pero (but), pa helps show contrast: the change is small, but I still have some loose change in my wallet.

This is the normal word order for this kind of sentence.

A good way to think of it is:

• may
  • thing that exists/is possessed + particles + pronoun + location

So:

• may = there is / have
• barya = coins
• pa = still
• ako = I
• sa pitaka = in the wallet

That gives:

• May barya pa ako sa pitaka

Putting pa after ako would usually sound unnatural in this sentence.

Sa pitaka means in the wallet.

Sa is a very common marker for:

• location
• direction
• destination

So here it marks where the coins are:

• sa pitaka = in the wallet

Pitaka usually means wallet, though depending on context it can sometimes be something like a small purse or money holder.

Yes. That is also correct and natural.

Compare:

• May barya pa ako sa pitaka
• Mayroon pa akong barya sa pitaka

Both mean basically the same thing: I still have coins in my wallet.

The version with may is shorter and very common in everyday speech.
The version with mayroon can sound a bit fuller or slightly more formal.

Yes. Pero is very common in everyday Filipino and is the most natural word here.

Other words for but include:

• ngunit = more formal
• subalit = also more formal/literary

So in normal conversation, pero is exactly what you would expect.

A rough breakdown is:

• Maliit = small
• lang = only / just
• ang sukli = the change
• pero = but
• may = there is / have
• barya = coins / loose change
• pa = still
• ako = I
• sa pitaka = in the wallet

So a very literal rendering would be:

• The change is just small, but I still have coins in the wallet

More natural English would be:

• The change isn’t much, but I still have some coins in my wallet.