Help - what does it mean?

[Bronxboy]

Originally Posted by Chip

The normal abreviation as I know it is "pa' que sepa". I have heard "sabes" used at the end of sentances, but not really in the subjuntive form like "sepa". Of course I am not a native speaker, so that is why I asked Norma for more clarification. I do live here in Santiago. Like Norma says - here to learn.

Shouldn't it be 'para que sepa"?

Correct me if I am mistaken.

[Chip]

Originally Posted by bronxboyatheart

Shouldn't it be 'para que sepa"?

Correct me if I am mistaken.

sure, but in it's abbr form here it is often said pa' que sepa.

[Norma Rosa]

Originally Posted by Chip

Norma, nice to here from you again. If I understand correctly, "sepa" is used in your above example at the end of a sentence to mean "you know", right?

I ask because I am not familiar with this usage, ie haven't heard it used like this in cibao. It is usually used with "para que sepas".

Also, this phrase seems to be mostly used to mean "take that" (as in a response to a perceived injustice) or "go figure", etc.

Hola primo! You are right. The expressions para que (lo) sepas (so that you know) or que yo sepa (that I know) are never shortened to just sepa except when the word is used in the imperative form: Sepa usted, Sepan ustedes. However, sabes (you know) is used by itself.

Here to help and learn,
Norma

[Princesa777]

Originally Posted by Chirimoya

"pa' que lo sepa" is used for emphasis in informal conversation. It doesn't really mean much more than "you know" in English. Literally - "so that you know".

Cepa, on the other hand, means root, among other things. "Dominicano de pura cepa".

cepa f.
1. botany stump (of a tree)
2. (tronco de la vid) rootstalk
3. (vid) vine, stock
4. figurative (linaje) stock, origin
5. architecture pier, pillar
6. meteorology nucleus of a cloud formation
7. Guatemala , Honduras , Puerto Rico group of trees or plants having a common root
8. Mexico pit, hole

Ahhh... I never knew that! i just figured dominicano de pura sepa (thought it was spelled with an s... came from saber somehow too, I could never exactly figure out what it meant, I mean I understood the meaning, but not word by word.
So thank you for teaching me something today

[SantiagoRocks69]

Ta'to, pa'que sepa :P

[Norma Rosa]

Originally Posted by Princesa777

Ahhh... I never knew that! i just figured dominicano de pura sepa (thought it was spelled with an s... came from saber somehow too, I could never exactly figure out what it meant, I mean I understood the meaning, but not word by word.
So thank you for teaching me something today

De pura sepa
It does not come from verb saber.
Figuratively: Of good stock/origin/root (pure breed)

[ExtremeR]

It may also be Sepalo, that is said a lot in cassual conversations that means like: True or Word kind of affirmating the preceding sentence.

[rio2003]

Originally Posted by ExtremeR

It may also be Sepalo, that is said a lot in cassual conversations that means like: True or Word kind of affirmating the preceding sentence.

OK I have been listening more closely to when and how she is saying it and it is absolutely correct that on occasion she is saying "para que sepas" but there are times when she is definitely only saying "sepa/s".
I haven't told her yet that I have been posting this - I find it hard to get a word in edgeways as it is without starting her off on another subject! LOL.

Rio