What is the meaning of this sentence (specifically 前まで)?

Question

ちょっと前まで、ちょっと前まで暑かったです。

I'm following a video, and trying to translate line by line. This sentence I got stuck on.

I'm trying to break in down into parts.

I know ちょっと is "a little."

What is 前まで here? I know 今まで is "until now." So in that line of thinking, it leaves me somewhat confused.

And I know 暑かった is the i-adjective 暑い, but past tense. So was hot.

So roughly ...

[...?] it was hot.

@sundowner Weird of you to presume I hadn't already done that. I get you're an advanced user, but to me as a complete beginner, that page does not answer my question regarding 前まで. I did not ask for the meaning of 前. — X33, Commented Oct 24, 2022 at 13:49
I mean, you should show it in your question, just like you did for other parts. If until before does not make sense to you, making that explicit makes it easier to answer. — sundowner, Commented Oct 24, 2022 at 13:55
@sundowner It's literally asked in my question...I specify 前まで. — X33, Commented Oct 25, 2022 at 1:37
I'm not blaming or anything, but I wondered why you didn't say you understood it as until before if you knew 今まで as until now and (implicitly) 前 as before. To me, until before looks close enough to until a short while ago. — sundowner, Commented Oct 25, 2022 at 1:55

serencog · Accepted Answer · 2022-10-24 13:41:42Z

3

It means "(until) just a little while ago / just now."

ちょっと前までここにいたのに

But he was here just a little while ago.

ちょっと前まで、ちょっと前まで暑かったです。

Just now... just now, it was (still) hot.

You'll find a few more examples here.

answered Oct 24, 2022 at 13:41

serencog

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