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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5100-01 |
Matthew 5:23 | τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
something | something | something |
G5100-02 |
Matthew 8:28 | τινὰ | tina | PRO.I ACC M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-04 |
Matthew 9:3 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-08 |
Matthew 11:27 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Matthew 12:19 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Matthew 12:29 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
one | someone | someone |
G5100-04 |
Matthew 12:38 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-08 |
Matthew 12:47 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
someone | someone | someone |
G5100-01 |
Matthew 15:32 | τι | ti | PRO.Q ACC N SG |
to eat | something | someone |
G5100-08 |
Matthew 16:24 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-04 |
Matthew 16:28 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-05 |
Matthew 18:12 | τινι | tini | QUAN DAT M SG |
to someone | to someone | to someone |
G5100-01 |
Matthew 18:28 | τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
what | something | someone |
G5100-01 |
Matthew 20:20 | τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
something | something | something |
G5100-08 |
Matthew 21:3 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-01 |
Matthew 21:3 | τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
anything | something | something |
G5100-08 |
Matthew 22:24 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
a man | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Matthew 22:46 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Matthew 24:4 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
no one | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Matthew 24:23 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-04 |
Matthew 27:47 | τινὲς | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
Some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-04 |
Matthew 28:11 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-04 |
Mark 2:6 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-08 |
Mark 4:23 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-01 |
Mark 6:36 | τι | ti | PRO.Q ACC N SG |
something | something | something |
G5100-04 |
Mark 7:1 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
certain | certain ones | someones |
G5100-03 |
Mark 7:2 | τινὰς | tinas | PRO.I ACC M PL |
some | some people | someones |
G5100-08 |
Mark 7:16 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
any man | someone | someone |
G5100-01 |
Mark 8:1 | τι | ti | PRO.Q ACC N SG |
what they might | something | someone |
G5100-01 |
Mark 8:2 | τι | ti | PRO.Q ACC N SG |
what | something | someone |
G5100-04 |
Mark 8:3 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-08 |
Mark 8:4 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-01 |
Mark 8:23 | τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
anything | something | someone |
G5100-08 |
Mark 8:34 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-04 |
Mark 9:1 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
some | certain ones | someones |
G5100-01 |
Mark 9:22 | τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
any thing | something | something |
G5100-08 |
Mark 9:30 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Mark 9:35 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-02 |
Mark 9:38 | τινα | tina | PRO.I ACC M SG |
someone | someone | someone |
G5100-08 |
Mark 11:3 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-04 |
Mark 11:5 | τινες | tines | PRO.I NOM M PL |
certain ones | certain ones | someones |
G5100-01 |
Mark 11:13 | τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
anything | something | something |
G5100-08 |
Mark 11:16 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-01 |
Mark 11:25 | τι | ti | PRO.I ACC N SG |
anything | something | someone |
G5100-07 |
Mark 11:25 | τινος | tinos | PRO.I GEN M SG |
anyone | of someone | of someone |
G5100-03 |
Mark 12:13 | τινας | tinas | PRO.I ACC M PL |
some | some people | someones |
G5100-07 |
Mark 12:19 | τινος | tinos | PRO.I GEN M SG |
a man's | of someone | of someone |
G5100-08 |
Mark 13:5 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |
G5100-01 |
Mark 13:15 | τι | ti | PRO.Q ACC N SG |
anything | something | something |
G5100-08 |
Mark 13:21 | τις | tis | PRO.I NOM M SG |
anyone | someone | someone |