τὶς
tìs
G5100 indefinite pronoun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An enclitic indefinite pronoun denoting an unspecified or unidentified person or thing; used to indicate 'someone,' 'anyone,' or 'a certain one.' While its primary sense is 'a certain (person or thing),' it also functions in a nonspecific or generalizing way, expressing indefiniteness in statements and questions. Context determines whether it should be rendered as 'someone,' 'anyone,' 'a certain one,' 'anything,' or 'some.'
Semantic Range
someone, anyone, a certain person, something, anything, a certain thing, some, any, one, a
Root / Etymology
The word derives from the interrogative pronoun τίς ('who?' or 'what?') with enclitic usage denoting indefiniteness rather than direct interrogation.
Historical & Contextual Notes
τίς in its enclitic form (often written without an accent, τὶς) functions as the standard Greek indefinite pronoun in both classical and Koine periods. It distinguishes between specified (definite) and unspecified (indefinite) reference, unlike ὅστις, which more often introduces general statements or qualities ('whoever, whosoever'). Unlike the interrogative τίς (accented), enclitic τὶς does not ask a question but refers generally or to some unspecified individual or object—frequently, the choice between 'a certain one' and 'someone' depends on context, as in Luke 10:25 ('a certain lawyer') or John 5:5 ('a certain man'). In negative statements or clauses, it may be used to mean 'anyone' ('no one'), especially with μή or οὐ. In translation, the broad range of uses—'someone,' 'anyone,' 'a,' 'one,' or 'certain'—reflects the Greek flexibility in expressing undefined or partitive reference, which may be more restricted in English. The word is extremely common in the Septuagint and New Testament, used for both persons and things, and contrasts with the definite pronoun or proper nouns in a given context. Unlike later English translations which distinguish 'Jew' from 'Judean,' τὶς carries no such ethnonymic ambiguity; it is entirely indefinite.
Translation Consistency
“Someone” is the most frequent and natural English rendering of τὶς (216/539 occurrences). It cleanly conveys the indefinite, unspecified sense (a certain person/anyone) and is easy to use consistently across contexts; rarer senses (e.g., something/anything) can be handled by context-specific adjustments while keeping the same base choice.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
an enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object:--a (kind of), any (man, thing, thing at all), certain (thing), divers, he (every) man, one (X thing), ought, + partly, some (man, -body, - thing, -what), (+ that no-)thing, what(-soever), X wherewith, whom(-soever), whose(-soever).
Root Family
τις- (tìs) — someone, something, a certain one, anyone, anything
Word Forms
9 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5100-08 |
τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone | 238 |
G5100-01 |
τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
anything | something | something | 107 |
G5100-04 |
τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones | 77 |
G5100-02 |
τινὰ | tina | PRO.I ACC M SG |
a certain | someone | someone | 45 |
G5100-03 |
τινὰς | tinas | PRO.I ACC M PL |
some | some people | someones | 24 |
G5100-07 |
τινος | tinos | PRO.I GEN M SG |
any man's | of someone | of someone | 21 |
G5100-05 |
τινι | tini | QUAN DAT M SG |
one | to someone | to someone | 13 |
G5100-06 |
τινων | tinon | PRO.I GEN M PL |
some | of certain ones | of someones | 10 |
G5100-09 |
τισιν | tisin | PRO.I DAT M PL |
with some | to certain ones | to some ones | 4 |
Occurrences in Scripture
539 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5100-04 |
Mark 14:4 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-08 |
Mark 14:47 | τις | tis | QUAN NOM M SG |
certain | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Mark 14:51 | τις | tis | QUAN NOM M SG |
a certain | someone | someone |
G5100-04 |
Mark 14:57 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-04 |
Mark 14:65 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-02 |
Mark 15:21 | τινα | tina | PRO.I ACC M SG |
a certain | someone | someone |
G5100-04 |
Mark 15:35 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-08 |
Mark 15:36 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
someone | someone | someone |
G5100-01 |
Mark 16:18 | τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
any | something | someone |
G5100-08 |
Luke 1:5 | τις | tis | QUAN NOM M SG |
a certain | someone | someone |
G5100-04 |
Luke 6:2 | τινὲς | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
certain ones | certain ones | someones |
G5100-07 |
Luke 7:2 | τινος | tinos | QUAN GEN M SG |
certain | of someone | of someone |
G5100-03 |
Luke 7:18 | τινὰς | tinas | QUAN ACC M PL |
certain | some people | certain ones |
G5100-08 |
Luke 7:36 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
one | someone | someone |
G5100-01 |
Luke 7:40 | τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
something | something | something |
G5100-05 |
Luke 7:41 | τινι | tini | QUAN DAT M SG |
certain | to someone | to someone |
G5100-04 |
Luke 8:2 | τινες | tines | QUAN NOM F PL |
certain | certain ones | someones |
G5100-08 |
Luke 8:27 | τις | tis | QUAN NOM M SG |
a certain | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Luke 8:46 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
someone | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Luke 8:49 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
someone | someone | someone |
G5100-02 |
Luke 8:51 | τινα | tina | PRO.I ACC M SG |
anyone | someone | anyone |
G5100-06 |
Luke 9:7 | τινων | tinon | PRO.I GEN M PL |
some | of certain ones | some |
G5100-06 |
Luke 9:8 | τινων | tinon | PRO.I GEN M PL |
some | of certain ones | of someones |
G5100-08 |
Luke 9:8 | τις | tis | QUAN NOM M SG |
one | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Luke 9:19 | τις | tis | QUAN NOM M SG |
one | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Luke 9:23 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-04 |
Luke 9:27 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-02 |
Luke 9:49 | τινα | tina | PRO.I ACC M SG |
someone | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Luke 9:57 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
someone | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Luke 10:25 | τις | tis | QUAN NOM M SG |
a certain | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Luke 10:30 | τις | tis | QUAN NOM M SG |
certain | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Luke 10:31 | τις | tis | QUAN NOM M SG |
a certain | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Luke 10:33 | τις | tis | QUAN NOM M SG |
certain | someone | someone |
G5100-01 |
Luke 10:35 | τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
more | something | something |
G5100-02 |
Luke 10:38 | τινά | tina | QUAN ACC F SG |
certain | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Luke 10:38 | τις | tis | QUAN NOM F SG |
a | someone | someone |
G5100-05 |
Luke 11:1 | τινὶ | tini | QUAN DAT M SG |
certain | to someone | a certain |
G5100-08 |
Luke 11:1 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
one | someone | someone |
G5100-04 |
Luke 11:15 | τινὲς | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-08 |
Luke 11:27 | τις | tis | QUAN NOM F SG |
a certain | someone | someone |
G5100-01 |
Luke 11:36 | τι | ti | QUAN ACC N SG |
any | something | any |
G5100-08 |
Luke 11:45 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
one | someone | someone |
G5100-01 |
Luke 11:54 | τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
something | something | something |
G5100-01 |
Luke 12:4 | τι | ti | QUAN ACC N SG |
that | something | something |
G5100-08 |
Luke 12:13 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
someone | someone | someone |
G5100-05 |
Luke 12:15 | τινὶ | tini | PRO.I DAT M SG |
anyone's | to someone | of someone |
G5100-07 |
Luke 12:16 | τινὸς | tinos | QUAN GEN M SG |
certain | of someone | of someone |
G5100-04 |
Luke 13:1 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-08 |
Luke 13:6 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
a certain man | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Luke 13:23 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
someone | someone | someone |