τις

See also: τίς and -τις

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *kʷís (who, what). Cognates include Latin quis and Hittite 𒆪𒅖 (kuiš). Compare its interrogative form τίς (tís, who?).[1]

Pronunciation

 

Pronoun

τῐς • (tĭs) (enclitic, moving back its accent)

  1. (indefinite, masculine/feminine) someone, anyone, a certain one
    ναὸς m (naòs, temple) & τὶς … → ναός τις … (the grave accent of τὶς moves back and replaces grave with acute)
    κῆπος m (kêpos, garden) & τὶςκῆπός τις (the grave accent of τὶς moves back as acute)
  2. (indefinite, in neuter) something, anything, a certain thing

Declension

Derived terms

See also

References

  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “τίς”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1487

Further reading

Greek

Etymology 1

Inherited from Byzantine Greek τὲς (tès) of the 11th century, through morphological levelling of the accusative and nominative plurals.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tis/ - unaccented, pronounced together with following word
  • Homophone: της (tis)

Article

τις • (tis)

  1. (definite) feminine accusative plural of ο (o, the)
    — Τις συνάντησα χθες. — Ποιες; — Τις δύο αδερφές σου.
    — Tis synántisa chthes. — Poies? — Tis dýo aderfés sou.
    — I met them yesterday. — Whom? — Your [the] two sisters.
Declension
The definite article
singular plural
masculine feminine neuter masculine feminine neuter
nominative ο (o) η (i) το (to) οι (oi) οι (oi) τα (ta)
genitive του (tou) της (tis) του (tou) των (ton) των (ton) των (ton)
accusative το(ν) (to(n)) 1 τη(ν) (ti(n)) 1 το (to) τους (tous) τις (tis) τα (ta)

1. The final ν is preserved before vowels, and the plosive/affricate consonants:
      κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ
Archaic forms used in certain fixed phrases: τοις (tois), τας (tas)

Alternative forms
  • τες (tes) (dialectal, literary)
  • (contraction): σε (se) + τις (tis) giving στις (stis)

Pronoun

τις • (tisf pl (weak personal pronoun)

  1. them (3rd person feminine plural, accusative; used before the verb)
    Τις συνάντησα χθες. — Ποιες; — Τις δύο αδερφές σου.
    Tis synántisa chthes. — Poies? — Tis dýo aderfés sou.
    — I met them yesterday. — Whom? — Your two sisters.
Alternative forms
  • τες (tes) (used after the verb)
Third person pronouns
singular (familiar)
strong weak
masculine feminine neuter masculine feminine neuter
nominative αυτός (aftós) αυτή (aftí) αυτό (aftó) τος (tos) τη (ti) το (to)
genitive αυτού (aftoú) αυτής (aftís) αυτού (aftoú) του (tou) της (tis) του (tou)
accusative αυτόν (aftón) αυτήν (aftín) αυτό (aftó) τον (ton) την (tin) το (to)

plural (formal)
strong weak
masculine feminine neuter masculine feminine neuter
nominative αυτοί (aftoí) αυτές (aftés) αυτά (aftá) τοι (toi) τες (tes) τα (ta)
genitive αυτών (aftón) αυτών (aftón) αυτών (aftón) τους (tous) τους (tous) τους (tous)
accusative αυτούς (aftoús) αυτές (aftés) αυτά (aftá) τους (tous) τις, τες (tis, tes) τα (ta)

There is no 3rd person vocative case.
These terms double as possessive pronouns.
τις (tis) is used before a verb, τες (tes) after a verb..
All personal pronoun forms are displayed at εγώ (egó, I).

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek τίς (tís), interrogative pronoun (masculine, feminine) and τί () (neuter).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈtis/

Pronoun

τις • (tism (feminine τις, neuter τι)  interrogative

  1. (archaic, formal, always in set phrases) who? (what? / which person or people?)
    Synonyms: ποιος; m (poios;), ποια; f (poia;), ποιο; n (poio;)
    τις πταίει;tis ptaíei?who is at fault?
    τις ει; (military, recognition)tis ei?who are you?
    τίνι τρόπω;tíni trópo?in what way?
  2. see the genitive singular τίνος (tínos)
    Τίνος είσαι συ; (stereotypical phrase associated with elderly Greeks in small villages and communities to those they don't recognise)
    Tínos eísai sy?
    Whose [child] are you?
    Synonym: ποιανού (poianoú) of ποιος (poios)
  3. see the genitive plural τίνων (tínon)
    Synonym: ποιανών (poianón) of ποιος (poios)
Usage notes
  • Of the ancient interrogative pronoun τίς (tís) the forms τίνος (tínos), plural τίνων (tínon) and the neuter τι (ti) are used in Standard Modern Greek as well. All other forms are archaic, used in quotations and set phrases.
Declension

As in the ancient inflection of τίς, here in monotonic spelling

Declension of τις
singular plural
masculine feminine neuter masculine feminine neuter
nominative τις (tis) τις (tis) τι (ti) τίνες (tínes) τίνες (tínes) τίνα (tína)
genitive τίνος (tínos) τίνος (tínos) τίνος (tínos) τίνων (tínon) τίνων (tínon) τίνων (tínon)
accusative τίνα (tína) τίνα (tína) τι (ti) τίνας (tínas) τίνας (tínas) τίνα (tína)
vocative

All forms except genitives τίνος (tínos), τίνων (tínon) and τι (ti), are only used in set phrases in Modern Greek.
Also the dative singular τίνι (tíni) (masculine, feminine, neuter singular).

Alternative forms
  • τίνι τρόπω; (tíni trópo?, in what way?) - older script: τίνι τρόπῳ;
    Compare the indefinite Ancient Greek pronoun τις (tis) at εν τινι τρόπω (en tini trópo, at a certain way) - older script: ἔν τινι τρόπῳ
  • τις βούλεται αγορεύειν; (tis voúletai agorévein?, who wishes to speak?) - older script: τίς βούλεται ἀγορεύειν;
  • τις ει; (tis ei?, who are you?) (military) - older script: τίς εἶ;
  • τις οίδε; (tis oíde?, who knows?) - older script: τίς οἶδε;
  • τις πταίει; (tis ptaíei?, who is in fault? whose fault is it?) - older script: τίς πταίει;

Further reading