Breakdown of Es gilt, den Wein zu lagern und darauf zu warten, dass er perfekt wird.
er
he
es
it
und
and
perfekt
perfect / perfectly
der Wein
the wine
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
dass
that
warten auf
to wait for
darauf
on it
zu
to (infinitive marker)
es gilt, ... zu
it is necessary to (impersonal, formal)
lagern
to store
Questions & Answers about Es gilt, den Wein zu lagern und darauf zu warten, dass er perfekt wird.
How exactly does Es gilt, ... zu translate to 'The task is to...'?
The phrase es gilt literally means 'it is valid' or 'it counts'. However, when combined with a zu + infinitive clause, it forms a fixed expression indicating an impersonal obligation. It means something must be done, similar to 'it is necessary to', 'the goal is to', or 'the task is to'.
Why is darauf used before zu warten?
Do I need to repeat es gilt or zu for the second action?
You do not need to repeat es gilt, because the conjunction und links the two actions together under the same obligation. However, you do need to repeat the word zu before the second infinitive verb (zu warten), just as you used it before the first one (zu lagern).
Quick refresher: Why is wird used at the end instead of a form of bekommen?
This is a classic false friend! The English word 'become' translates to the verb werden in German (conjugated here as wird). The German verb bekommen means 'to get' or 'to receive'. Since the wine is changing state to become perfect, rather than receiving something, we must use werden.
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