May deposito raw si Maria sa bangko, kaya masaya siya ngayon.

In this sentence, may expresses existence, but in English it often translates as has.

So:

• May deposito si Maria = Maria has a deposit
• Literally, it is closer to There is a deposit belonging to Maria

Filipino often uses may where English uses have.

Si is the personal name marker for one specific person.

So:

• si Maria = Maria
• si Juan = Juan

In sentences like this, si marks the person associated with the thing being talked about. A very common pattern is:

• May + thing + si + person

Examples:

• May kotse si Ana. = Ana has a car.
• May trabaho si Carlo. = Carlo has a job.

Raw is a reportative or hearsay particle. It shows that the speaker is not stating the information as direct personal knowledge.

It often corresponds to ideas like:

• apparently
• reportedly
• they say
• I heard that

So May deposito raw si Maria suggests something like:

• Apparently, Maria has a deposit in the bank
• I heard that Maria has a deposit in the bank

Raw and daw mean the same thing. The choice depends on the sound before them.

A common rule:

• use raw after a word ending in a vowel, w, or y
• use daw after most consonants

Here, the preceding word is deposito, which ends in the vowel o, so raw is used:

• deposito raw

Because raw is a clitic particle. These small particles usually appear very early in the clause, often after the first word or phrase they attach to.

In this sentence:

• May deposito raw si Maria...

That placement sounds natural. Putting raw much later would usually sound unnatural or change the rhythm of the sentence.

So for learners, it is useful to remember that particles like raw/daw, na, pa, nga, and ba often come near the beginning of the clause.

Sa is a very flexible location/direction marker. Depending on context, it can mean:

• in
• at
• on
• to

Here, sa bangko means in the bank or at the bank.

Because the noun is deposito, the intended meaning is clearly a bank deposit, so English would naturally say in the bank.

Not always. Bangko can also mean bench in some contexts.

But in this sentence, deposito makes the meaning clear:

• deposito sa bangko = deposit in the bank

So there is no real ambiguity here.

Yes, kaya has more than one use.

In this sentence, kaya is a connector meaning:

• so
• therefore
• that’s why

So:

• May deposito raw si Maria sa bangko, kaya masaya siya ngayon.
• Maria apparently has a deposit in the bank, so she is happy now.

This is different from kaya meaning able to.

Because Filipino often does not need a separate verb like is in simple present descriptive sentences.

So:

• Masaya siya ngayon
• literally: Happy she now
• natural English: She is happy now

This is completely normal in Filipino. The adjective masaya acts as the predicate.

Both are grammatical, but they differ in style.

• Masaya siya ngayon = very natural, common, conversational
• Siya ay masaya ngayon = also correct, but a bit more formal or structured

Predicate-first order is very common in Filipino, so masaya siya sounds very natural.

Because the second clause needs its own subject.

The sentence has two parts:

1. May deposito raw si Maria sa bangko
2. kaya masaya siya ngayon

In the second part, siya refers back to Maria. This is normal and natural, just like English often says:

• Maria has a deposit in the bank, so she is happy now

You could repeat si Maria, but siya is smoother and more natural here.

You normally use may directly before a noun:

• May deposito si Maria.

That is the standard pattern.

Mayroon is related, but it behaves a little differently and is often used more independently:

• Mayroon si Maria. = Maria has one / Maria has something.

So:

• May deposito si Maria = natural
• Mayroon deposito si Maria = not the usual form

For this sentence, may is the correct choice.

Ngayon means now.

It tells you that Maria’s happiness is true at the present moment:

• masaya siya ngayon = she is happy now

Without ngayon, the sentence would simply mean:

• she is happy

Adding ngayon makes it more time-specific.

Yes.

• May deposito si Maria sa bangko, kaya masaya siya ngayon.

This would mean the speaker is stating it more directly, without marking it as hearsay.

So the difference is:

• with raw: the speaker heard this from someone else or is not fully claiming direct knowledge
• without raw: the statement sounds more direct and certain

No, it is a borrowed word, ultimately from Spanish. Filipino contains many borrowed words, especially for money, government, religion, and everyday objects.

Even though it is borrowed, deposito is completely normal and understandable in Filipino.