Die klerehanger bly hier solank as die klererak vol is.

Here is a word-by-word breakdown:

• Die = the
• klerehanger = clothes hanger
• bly = stays / remains
• hier = here
• solank as = as long as
• die klererak = the clothes rack
• vol = full
• is = is

So the structure is:

• main clause: Die klerehanger bly hier
• time/condition clause: solank as die klererak vol is

Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, very often forms compound nouns as a single word.

So:

• klere
  • hanger → klerehanger
• klere
  • rak → klererak

This is completely normal in Afrikaans. English sometimes writes similar ideas as two words, but Afrikaans usually prefers one compound word.

Because in a compound noun, the first part does not control whether the whole word is singular or plural. The second part is the main noun.

So in klerehanger:

• klere describes what kind of hanger it is
• hanger is the head noun

That means:

• 'n klerehanger = a clothes hanger
• twee klerehangers = two clothes hangers

The compound is singular or plural according to hanger, not according to klere.

Because bly means stay or remain, not just be.

Compare:

• Die klerehanger is hier. = The clothes hanger is here.
  This only states its location.
• Die klerehanger bly hier. = The clothes hanger stays here / remains here.
  This suggests it continues to be here.

So bly adds the idea of continuing in that place.

Solank as means as long as.

Yes, solank is one word here. It is not so lank.

In this sentence, solank as introduces a clause that gives the time or condition under which something is true:

• Die klerehanger bly hier solank as die klererak vol is.

You will also often hear just solank before a clause, especially in everyday speech, but solank as is perfectly normal and clear.

Because solank as introduces a subordinate clause, and in Afrikaans the finite verb usually goes to the end of a subordinate clause.

So:

• main clause: Die klerehanger bly hier
• subordinate clause: solank as die klererak vol is

That final is is normal Afrikaans word order.

This is one of the most important sentence-pattern differences from English.

Because each definite noun phrase needs its own article.

So:

• die klerehanger = the clothes hanger
• die klererak = the clothes rack

Afrikaans uses die for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• all genders

So unlike some other languages, you do not need to learn different words for the depending on gender.

They are two different objects:

• klerehanger = a hanger for clothes
• klererak = a rack or stand for clothes

So the sentence is talking about one object staying somewhere in relation to another object.

This can be easy to mix up because both words start with klere-, but the second part changes the meaning:

• -hanger = hanger
• -rak = rack

Because vol is being used predicatively, after is.

In Afrikaans, adjectives used after a linking verb such as is usually stay in their basic form:

• Die klererak is vol.
• Die kamer is groot.
• Die boek is interessant.

So vol does not change here.

Yes. You can also say:

Solank as die klererak vol is, bly die klerehanger hier.

That means the same thing.

Notice what happens in the main clause after the fronted subordinate clause:

• bly comes before die klerehanger

This is because Afrikaans main clauses normally keep the finite verb in second position.

It can feel like both, just like English as long as.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• for the period that
• while
• provided that

In this sentence, it most naturally means that the hanger stays here during the time that the rack is full, and it can also imply that this is the condition under which it stays here. Context usually tells you which nuance is strongest.