さっき

さっき is an adverb meaning "a little while ago" or "just now," referring to the very recent past (usually minutes to an hour ago).

COMMON PATTERNS:

• さっき〜した: did ~ just now
• さっきまで: until just now
• さっきから: since a little while ago
• さっきの: the one from just now

TIME REFERENCE WORDS:

• さっき: a few minutes ago (very recent)
• このあいだ: the other day (days to weeks)
• 前(まえ)に: before (general past)
• 最近(さいきん): recently (days to weeks)
• 先(さき)ほど: a little while ago (more formal than さっき)

NOTE:
さっき is casual. In formal situations, use 先(さき)ほど instead.