мы там были до семи часов

[eni8ma]

Apparently this can mean:

We were there before 7 o'clock.
We were there until 7 o'clock.

That's two different circumstances.

"We were there before 7 o'clock" suggests we arrived shortly before seven o'clock.

"We were there until 7 o'clock" says we had been there for a while, then left at 7 o'clock.

Is there any way to distinguish which one is meant, other than context?

 

[Orlin]

I think both meanings are possible depending on the context.

 

[eni8ma]

I know both meanings are possible.
So I guess what you are saying is that on its own, the sentence is unclear.
Since it came from a text book, with nothing before or after, either meaning is right.

For the first meaning, would it be better to say:
мы туда пришли до семи часов.

I can't think of any other way to say the second meaning.

 

[Ezhevika]

I know both meanings are possible.
So I guess what you are saying is that on its own, the sentence is unclear.
Since it came from a text book, with nothing before or after, either meaning is right.

For the first meaning, would it be better to say:
мы туда пришли до семи часов.

I can't think of any other way to say the second meaning.

If you want to show that you arrived there before 7 it is correct to say мы туда пришли до семи часов, but it would be even better if you say
когда мы туда пришли, еще не было 7 часов (it sounds more Russian to me).

 

[Ezhevika]

And a small remark on the phrase "мы там были до семи часов".
If somebody said to me “мы там были до семи часов”, I would rather think that they stayed there until 7 and then went away than that they arrived there before 7.

 

[eni8ma]

And a small remark on the phrase "мы там были до семи часов".
If somebody said to me “мы там были до семи часов”, I would rather think that they stayed there until 7 and then went away than that they arrived there before 7.

Thanks - I had wondered if there was one meaning that stood out more
That fits with the idea that до means up to (and including).

Спасибо

 

[Ezhevika]

Thanks - I had wondered if there was one meaning that stood out more
That fits with the idea that до means up to (and including).

Спасибо

Not at all. Glad I could help

 

[morzh]

Either way to construe is possible.

One, however, is understood by default, (we were there 'til 7), and another one has to have some context attached, like "Мы были на вокзале до 7-ми часов" in the context of "arriving". Remove the context, and the same phrase will mean "we were stuck (waiting, spent time) at the station up until 7".

 

[eni8ma]

How would I say "Please arrive before 7 pm"?

 

[Orlin]

how would i say "please arrive before 7 pm"?

Приди(те), пожалуйста, до 19 часов/не позже 19 часов.

 

[eni8ma]

Приди(те), пожалуйста, до 19 часов/не позже 19 часов.

Thanks. I know до can mean 'before', but in the original sentence, it was ambiguous.

Приди(те), пожалуйста, до 7 часов вечера

Спасибо

 

[Garbuz]

It looks such ambiguity occurs only with the verb 'быть' which may indicate both a state and an instant action. Maybe with some other verbs but nothing seems to cross my mind at the moment. Normally you would have "до"= before with terminative verbs and "до"= until with durative verbs.

We slept until 11 a.m. - Мы (про)спали до 11 часов.
We arrived before 11 a.m. - Мы приехали до 11 часов.

 

[eni8ma]

Normally you would have "до"= before with terminative verbs and "до"= until with durative verbs.

Спасибо - both for the explanation - and for yet more names of verb forms.

So far - copulative, in|transitive, (negative?) - now also terminative, durative. Learning someone else's language is a great way to learn more about your own language.