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Il veut reconstituer son arbre généalogique, alors il en rêve.

Il veut reconstituer son arbre généalogique, alors il en rêve.
He wants to piece together his family tree, so he dreams about it.
From Lesson 235:The pronoun 'en' with verbs (en)·French

Questions & Answers about Il veut reconstituer son arbre généalogique, alors il en rêve.

Why do we use "en" here instead of a direct object pronoun like "le"?
The verb is rêver de (to dream about). When you replace de plus a thing or concept (like son arbre généalogique), you must use the pronoun en. You cannot use le because the verb requires that invisible de.
Since "en" usually means "of it" or "some", why is it translated as "about it" here?
The translation depends on the verb. In French, you say rêver de (to dream of or about). Because en replaces the de phrase, it naturally translates to "about it" in English for this specific verb.
Why does "en" go before the verb instead of at the end of the sentence?
In French, object pronouns like en almost always go directly before the conjugated verb they belong to. So instead of putting the idea at the end of the sentence, it tucks in right before rêve to make il en rêve.
Is "reconstituer" the standard verb for making a family tree?
Yes! While it literally means "to reconstruct," reconstituer is the natural French verb to use when you are piecing together scattered information, like a puzzle, a timeline, or a family tree (un arbre généalogique).

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