Breakdown of Me dijo que mi bisabuela había hecho el árbol genealógico.
el árbol
the tree
mi
my
que
that (relative pronoun, conjunction)
hacer
to do, to make
me
to me / myself (reflexive) / me (direct object)
decir
to say / to tell
haber
to have (auxiliary)
la bisabuela
the great-grandmother
genealógico
genealogical
Questions & Answers about Me dijo que mi bisabuela había hecho el árbol genealógico.
Why does this sentence use había hecho instead of hizo or ha hecho?
Because this is reported speech introduced by a past tense verb, dijo (he told). If the original direct quote was a past tense like hizo (made) or ha hecho (has made), you must shift it one step further back into the past when reporting it. This requires the Past Perfect tense, había hecho (had made).
Does the prefix bis- in bisabuela always mean 'great' for family members?
Yes, in family vocabulary, the prefix bis- indicates the next generation back or forward. Just like bisabuela means great-grandmother, you can use it for bisabuelo (great-grandfather) and bisnieto (great-grandson). It originally means twice or double.
I recognize había as the auxiliary verb, but why is it paired with hecho?
Hecho is the past participle of the verb hacer (to make or do). It is completely irregular, so it does not end in the standard -ado or -ido. You will always use hecho when forming perfect tenses with this verb.
Is árbol genealógico the standard way to say 'family tree' in Spanish?
Learn Me dijo que mi bisabuela había hecho el árbol genealógico and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free