оставалось делать

was left to do; was there to do

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phrase Rare #26,902

was left to do; was there to do Often used in «что оставалось делать?» to mean “what else was there to do?” or “what could someone do?”

RU: А что оставалось делать?

EN: And what else was there to do?

What else was there to do?

What else could be done?

— Воспоминания об убийстве (2003)

Well, what else could I do?

— Courier (1986)

Tom had no choice but to watch as the river carried Maria away.

And what was I supposed to do?

— Женщины на грани нервного срыва (1988)

What else could I do?

— Решение уйти (2022)

What else could I do?

— Решение уйти (2022)

Tom had no choice but to watch as the river carried Maria away.