השתמש hishtamésh, “use,” is a hitpa'el verb from שׁ־מ־שׁ. It looks as though the prefix is in the wrong order because the first radical is a sibilant: the שׁ and the prefix's ת trade places, producing הִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ, never התשמש. Its second defining feature is syntactic: the thing used follows ב־, as explained in the wider guide to verbs that govern ב־.
Complete paradigm
| Person | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|
| אני | הִשְׁתַּמַּשְׁתִּי hishtamáshti | אֶשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ eshtamésh |
| אתה | הִשְׁתַּמַּשְׁתָּ hishtamáshta | תִּשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ tishtamésh |
| את | הִשְׁתַּמַּשְׁתְּ hishtamásht | תִּשְׁתַּמְּשִׁי tishtamshí |
| הוא | הִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ hishtamésh | יִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ yishtamésh |
| היא | הִשְׁתַּמְּשָׁה hishtamshá | תִּשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ tishtamésh |
| אנחנו | הִשְׁתַּמַּשְׁנוּ hishtamáshnu | נִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ nishtamésh |
| אתם · אתן | הִשְׁתַּמַּשְׁתֶּם · הִשְׁתַּמַּשְׁתֶּן hishtamáshtem · hishtamáshten | תִּשְׁתַּמְּשׁוּ tishtamshú |
| הם · הן | הִשְׁתַּמְּשׁוּ hishtamshú | יִשְׁתַּמְּשׁוּ yishtamshú |
| Form type | Forms | Register and use |
|---|---|---|
| present | מִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ mishtamésh · מִשְׁתַּמֶּשֶׁת mishtaméshet · מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁים mishtamshím · מִשְׁתַּמְּשׁוֹת mishtamshót | neutral; also supplies the noun משתמש “user” |
| imperative | הִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ hishtamésh · הִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁי hishtamshí · הִשְׁתַּמְּשׁוּ hishtamshú | true imperative; common in written instructions |
| conversational command | תִּשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ · תִּשְׁתַּמְּשִׁי · תִּשְׁתַּמְּשׁוּ | ordinary informal speech |
| infinitive | לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ lehishtamésh | neutral |
| ordinary action noun | שִׁמּוּשׁ shimúsh | everyday and standard; historically the pi'el action noun |
| rare derived noun | הִשְׁתַּמְּשׁוּת hishtamshút | formal or legal; real, but not the normal everyday choice |
Modern plural forms generally serve all genders; dedicated feminine-plural past and future forms are formal or literary. Unpointed השתמש can be 3ms past or the masculine-singular imperative, although conversation usually replaces the imperative with תשתמש.
השתמשנו במילון דיגיטלי כדי לבדוק את ההגייה.
hishtamáshnu bemilón digitalí kdei livdók et hahagiyá.
We used a digital dictionary to check the pronunciation.
תשתמש בכרטיס שלי, אין בעיה.
tishtamésh bakartís shelí, ein be'ayá.
Use my card; no problem. (ordinary speech, to a man)
Why the letters trade places
The metathesis is phonological, not an irregular spelling to memorize separately for each verb. With ס, שׂ, שׁ, the first radical and ת simply exchange positions: הסתכל, השתמש. With צ, the displaced ת also becomes ט, as in הצטלם; with ז, it voices to ד, as in הזדקן. The full pattern is mapped on the hitpa'el metathesis page.
The swap appears throughout the paradigm, even when the tense prefix changes: משתמש, אשתמש, תשתמש, להשתמש. A learner cannot rebuild these as ordinary מת־ or ית־ forms; metathesis is part of the stem before the tense endings are attached.
במה אתה משתמש כדי לערוך את הסרטונים?
bamé atá mishtamésh kdei la'arókh et hasirtoním?
What do you use to edit the videos? (to a man)
אני אשתמש במחשב אחרי שתסיימי.
aní eshtamésh bamakhshév akharéi shetesaymí.
I'll use the computer after you finish. (to a woman)
The used thing always follows ב־
השתמש does not take a bare direct object and does not take את. A tool, material, method, language, password or opportunity is introduced by ב־: השתמשתי במחשב, השתמשנו בשיטה, השתמשה במילה. English marks use with a direct object, so this preposition must be learned as part of the Hebrew verb, not added by translation.
אפשר להשתמש בטלפון שלך לרגע?
efshár lehishtamésh batélefon shelkhá leréga?
Can I use your phone for a moment? (to a man)
אל תשתמשי בסיסמה הזאת בשני אתרים.
al tishtamshí basismá hazót bishnéi atarím.
Don't use that password on two websites. (to a woman)
When the object is a pronoun, ב־ inflects: בו “in/with it (m.),” בה “with it (f.),” בהם / בהן “with them.” Demonstrative בזה / בזאת means “this” or “that” in context. Question במה? asks “using what?”
קיבלתי קופון, אבל עוד לא השתמשתי בו.
kibálti kupón, avál od lo hishtamáshti bo.
I got a coupon, but I haven't used it yet.
מצאתי דרך פשוטה יותר, אז נשתמש בה.
matsáti dérekh pshutá yotér, az nishtamésh ba.
I found a simpler way, so we'll use it.
Using a person can mean exploiting them
A person can grammatically follow ב־ too, but the interpretation often shifts from neutral “use” to “use or exploit someone for one's own purposes.” Context can soften it—for example, an actor used in a demonstration—but הוא השתמש בי normally sounds accusatory. Neutral “ask someone for help” requires different wording.
הוא השתמש בי כדי להגיע למנהל, ואז הפסיק לענות.
hu hishtamésh bi kdei lehagía laminahél, ve'áz hifsík la'anót.
He used me to get to the manager, and then stopped replying.
אל תיתני להם להשתמש בך ככה.
al titní lahém lehishtamésh bakh kákha.
Don't let them use you like that. (to a woman, informal)
The high-frequency word family
משתמש is both the masculine-singular present “uses/is using” and the noun “user”; feminine משתמשת has the same dual function. Interface context makes the noun reading obvious: שם משתמש is “username,” and משתמש חדש is “new user.” שימושי means “useful, practical,” while הוראות שימוש are “instructions for use.”
יש ללחוץ על שם המשתמש ולבחור סיסמה חדשה.
yesh lilkhóts al shem hamishtamésh velivkhór sismá khadashá.
Click the username and choose a new password. (interface instructions)
השתמש בכפית אחת ופעל לפי הוראות השימוש.
hishtamésh bekapít akhát uf'ál lefí hora'ót hashimúsh.
Use one teaspoon and follow the instructions for use. (written instruction, to a man)
Key Takeaways
- Initial שׁ swaps places with hitpa'el ת: השתמש, not a form beginning התש־.
- The used tool, resource or method must follow ב־; pronouns are בו, בה, בהם, בהן.
- With a human complement, השתמש ב־ often means exploit or take advantage of.
- שימוש is the ordinary action noun; השתמשות is restricted and formal/legal.
- משתמש can mean either “uses” or “user,” and הוראות שימוש means instructions for use.
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Start learning Hebrew →Related Topics
- When the ת Moves: הסתכל, השתמש, הצטלם, הזדקןB1 — If the first root letter is a sibilant, the ת of the hitpa'el prefix changes places with it — and next to צ it hardens to ט, next to ז it voices to ד. Three outcomes across five letters, one phonetic reason, and a separate mechanism that is routinely confused with it.
- Verbs Governed by ב־: השתמש ב, טיפל ב, נגע בB1 — Learn common Hebrew verbs of contact, engagement, participation, and trust that govern ב־ instead of a direct object.
- השתתף — to take partB1 — Conjugate השתתף, preserve its two tavs after hitpa'el metathesis, and use ב־ for activities, costs and the fixed condolence formula.
- Hitpa'el Verbal Noun: הִתְקַטְּלוּת (התרגשות, התפתחות)B2 — Take the hitpa'el stem, add ־וּת, and you have the noun — התרגשות, התפתחות, השתתפות. The pattern is transparent and the plural ־ויות is where learners come unstuck; the harder lesson is that being derivable is not the same as being the word Israelis actually use.