было всего

was only

→ быть
phrase Uncommon #10,933
was only Used to emphasize that an age, amount, or number was small. In other contexts, the verb changes to agree with the subject, as in «была всего» (“was only”).
RU: Мне было всего десять лет.
EN: I was only ten years old.

Преподавателей было всего двое.

There were only two teachers.

— Хористы (2004)