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The seventh binyan, and the easiest to spot: every form wears the prefix הִתְ (past) or מִתְ (present). Its job is to turn the action back on the subject, you do it to yourself, you do it to each other, or you gradually become something. Got dressed, washed up, got excited, corresponded, joined in. If a verb starts with hit- / mit-, it is almost always here.
Three flavours of "back on the subject", Reflexive (to oneself): הִתְלַבֵּשׁ got dressed, הִתְרַחֵץ washed up.
Reciprocal (each other): הִתְכַּתֵּב corresponded, הִתְנַשֵּׁק kissed.
Becoming (gradual change of state): הִתְרַגֵּשׁ got excited, הִתְקַדֵּם advanced. Mould: past הִתְ_ַ_ֵּ_, present מִתְ_ַ_ֵּ_.
Plain hitpa'el: the prefix is the whole story
The one twist: hissing letters swap places, When the root starts with a sibilant (ס שׁ שׂ ז צ), the ת of הִתְ trades places with that letter so it is easier to say. This is metathesis. You will hear st-, sht-, zd-, tzt- at the front. It is regular, learn the four cases and you will never be fooled by them.
Metathesis: the four hissing-letter cases
surface form
root
rule & meaning
הִסְתַּדֵּר
ס-ד-ר
ס + ת swap → "got organized / managed / it worked out"
הִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ
ש-מ-ש
שׁ + ת swap → "used (made use of)"
הִזְדַּקֵּן
ז-ק-ן
ז swaps, ת→ד → "grew old / aged"
הִצְטַלֵּם
צ-ל-ם
צ swaps, ת→ט → "got photographed"
הִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ←הִתְ+ש מ ש
Expected *hit-shamesh is hard to say, so שׁ and ת swap → hishtamesh. The root is still ש-מ-ש (serve / use). Reverse the swap in your head and the root reappears.
Metathesis verbs in the wild
Hitpa'el action-nouns ( הִתְ_ַ_ְּ_וּת )
The reflexive noun mould, "the process of becoming / doing to oneself".
Decode drill: undo the prefix (and the swap)
Strip הִתְ / מִתְ. If the front hisses (st, sht, zd, tzt), undo the metathesis to find the real root.