было мало

there was little

→ быть

phrase Uncommon #12,945

there was little Used to say that there was not much of something or that there were not many people or things. The form было agrees with a neuter subject or is used impersonally; with plural nouns, the phrase can still mean “there were few,” as in Нас было мало (“There were few of us”).

RU: Вчера на концерте было мало людей.

EN: There were few people at the concert yesterday.

Всё прошло на ура, ведь была ночь, людей было мало,..

Everything went great because it was nighttime and there weren’t many people...

— Двойная страховка (1944)

У нас было мало воды.

We were low on water.

Денег было мало.

There was little money.

В прошлом месяце у нас было мало дождей.

We had little rain last month.

В этом году было мало дождей.

There has been little rain this year.

Вам было мало последнего урока?

Wasn't the last lesson enough for you?

— Конформист (1971)

На собрании было мало студентов.

There were few students at the meeting.

Таких камер было мало.

There were few cameras like that.

— Дипломная работа (1996)

Твоей матери его было мало.

Your mother wasn't satisfied with it.

— Битва за битвой (2025)

Этой зимой у нас было мало снега.

We haven't had much snow this winter.

Нас было мало.

There were only a few of us.

Но этого ему было мало.

But that wasn't enough for him.

— Анатомия падения (2023)