Indefinido of Haber

Question

I noticed in the following question the indefinido of haber is used. Hubiste de tener cuidado" means?  I thought the indefinido of haber is no longer used except for hubo. Is hubiste and the other indefinite conjugations of haber something that I’m likely to encounter?

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Devin P.
In “hubiste de tener cuidado”, haber is not being used as an auxiliary verb (like in hubo / había for existence). It’s part of the periphrasis haber de + infinitive, which expresses obligation or necessity, similar to tener que or deber.
In this construction, haber is fully conjugated in all tenses, including the indefinido: hube de, hubiste de, hubo de, etc. So hubiste de tener cuidado means “you should have been careful” / “you were supposed to be careful.”
You’re right that when haber is used impersonally to mean “there is/are”, only hubo is used in the indefinido. But that rule does not apply to haber de + infinitive, which is personal and conjugates normally.
You may encounter these forms in written Spanish or more formal contexts, though in everyday speech many speakers prefer tener que or deber.
Saludos
Silvia