I'm trying to understand some uses of "ay" that don't seem to fit the normal use as an inversion marker. These examples all come from this children's story:
www.youtube.com/watc h?v=l9vch7yfZJA
1. Noong araw na iyon, napag-isipan niyang maglibot sa kanyang pamamasyal ay nakakita siya ng isang buto.
Here it seems like "ay" is just a conjunction between clauses. Is it any different from "at"?
2. Tumingin si Max sa paligid ngunit wala siyang nakitang sinuman na maaaring magmayari ng buto kaya naman, ay dali-dali niya itong kinuha at kumaripas ng takbo.
Why is the "ay" needed here? Would the sentence be incorrect if it were left out?
3. Kalaunan ay nakarating siya sa isang ilog na may tulay na gawa sa kahoy at ito ay kanyang tinawid.
This seems similar to 2, linking an adverb to the rest of the sentence. Can someone explain the grammar rule at play here?
Salamat!