Breakdown of Du sollst nicht stehlen und nicht lügen!
du
you (informal singular)
und
and
nicht
not
sollen
should / ought to
Questions & Answers about Du sollst nicht stehlen und nicht lügen!
Why use sollst here instead of darfst (are not allowed to)?
While Du darfst nicht means "You are not allowed to" (a strict rule), Du sollst nicht is often used for moral obligations, strong advice, or commandments. It translates well to "You shouldn't" or the traditional "Thou shalt not".
Why are the verbs stehlen and lügen at the end of the sentence?
This is the standard rule for modal verbs like sollen. The conjugated modal verb (sollst) takes the second position in the sentence, and the main action verbs (stehlen and lügen) are pushed to the very end in their basic dictionary form (the infinitive).
Why do we repeat the word nicht before both verbs?
Repeating nicht adds emphasis and makes it perfectly clear that both actions are individually forbidden. If you only said Du sollst nicht stehlen und lügen, it could sound slightly ambiguous, almost as if only doing both at the exact same time is bad.
Could I say this as a direct command instead, using the imperative?
Yes, you could use the imperative command form (Stehl nicht und lüg nicht!) if you are directly telling someone what to do in the moment. However, using Du sollst makes it sound more like a general, timeless moral principle.