Breakdown of Jetzt fängt die Weinlese an, und es gilt, rasch zu arbeiten.
es
it
und
and
jetzt
now
arbeiten
to work
anfangen
to start
zu
to (infinitive marker)
die Weinlese
the grape harvest
es gilt, ... zu
it is necessary to (in 'es gilt, ... zu')
rasch
swift
Questions & Answers about Jetzt fängt die Weinlese an, und es gilt, rasch zu arbeiten.
How does es gilt express an obligation here?
The verb gelten usually means "to be valid" or "to apply." However, in the fixed structure es gilt, ... zu followed by an infinitive, it translates to "it is necessary to" or "the task at hand is to." It is an elegant, impersonal way to express that a situation demands a specific action without directly commanding anyone.
How is es gilt, rasch zu arbeiten different from saying man muss rasch arbeiten?
Using müssen focuses on the people who have to do the work. The impersonal es gilt removes the specific subject (like "we" or "one") and focuses entirely on the action itself. It sounds slightly more formal and frames the swift work as the ultimate priority of the current situation.
Why is the word for grape harvest Weinlese instead of Weinernte?
While Ernte is the general German word for "harvest," the harvesting of grapes is traditionally called die Lese (from lesen, which historically means "to gather" or "to pick"). You will see this specific term used almost exclusively for wine and sometimes olives.
Is the comma before rasch zu arbeiten mandatory?
Yes. While commas before zu plus infinitive clauses are sometimes optional in modern German, they are strictly mandatory when the main clause contains a "placeholder" word that points directly to the infinitive clause. Here, the pronoun es acts as that placeholder, making the comma required.
Is there a difference in meaning between rasch and schnell?
They are very close synonyms meaning "fast" or "quickly." However, rasch often carries a slightly stronger sense of "promptly" or "without delay," which perfectly captures the urgency of getting crops gathered before the weather changes.
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