As jy eerlik is, sal jy nie lieg nie.

Here As means if, not English as in the sense of while or like.

So:

• As jy eerlik is = If you are honest

This is a very common Afrikaans use of as in conditional sentences.

Because As jy eerlik is is a subordinate clause introduced by as.

In Afrikaans, subordinate clauses often send the conjugated verb to the end. So:

• main clause order: Jy is eerlik
• subordinate clause order: As jy eerlik is

This is similar to what happens in Dutch and German, and it is one of the most important word-order patterns in Afrikaans.

Eerlik means honest.

In this sentence it is used as a predicate adjective, after the verb is:

• jy is eerlik = you are honest

Afrikaans adjectives often do not change form when they come after a linking verb like is. So eerlik stays eerlik.

Sal is the auxiliary verb used to form the future tense.

So:

• jy sal nie lieg nie = you will not lie

It works a bit like English will. After sal, the main verb usually appears in its basic form:

• sal ... lieg

This is the standard Afrikaans double negative pattern.

In many ordinary negative sentences, Afrikaans uses two nie words:

• Jy lieg nie = You do not lie
• Jy sal nie lieg nie = You will not lie

The first nie usually comes after the verb phrase or the element being negated, and the second nie goes at the end of the clause.

This is one of the most famous features of Afrikaans grammar.

Because standard Afrikaans normally requires the second nie at the end in this kind of sentence.

So the correct standard form is:

• sal jy nie lieg nie

Using only one nie here would usually sound incomplete or nonstandard.

Because the sentence begins with a subordinate clause:

• As jy eerlik is, ...

When a main clause follows an opening subordinate clause in Afrikaans, the finite verb comes first in the main clause. This is often called verb-second behavior.

So instead of:

• As jy eerlik is, jy sal nie lieg nie ❌

you get:

• As jy eerlik is, sal jy nie lieg nie ✅

This is very similar to word order after fronted elements in Dutch and German.

Because after the auxiliary sal, the main verb stays in its plain form.

So:

• lieg = lie / tell lies
• sal lieg = will lie

Afrikaans verbs do not conjugate nearly as much as English verbs do, so you do not get different forms like lie, lies, lied, etc. in the same way.

In this sentence, lieg means to lie / tell a lie.

Do not confuse it with English lie meaning to recline. In Afrikaans, lieg is specifically about not telling the truth.

So:

• Jy lieg = You are lying / You tell lies

Yes, depending on context, it can sound like a general principle:

• If you are honest, you will not lie

This does not only refer to one future moment. It can also express a logical idea: honest people do not lie.

Afrikaans sal often marks future meaning, but in sentences like this it can also feel like a prediction or general consequence.

Jy is the normal singular you.

Afrikaans also has other forms for plural or more formal address, but jy here would normally be understood as singular informal you.

So the sentence is addressing one person:

• As jy eerlik is, sal jy nie lieg nie = If you are honest, you will not lie

On their own, the two statements would be:

• Jy is eerlik = You are honest
• Jy sal nie lieg nie = You will not lie

Then the conditional version combines them:

• As jy eerlik is, sal jy nie lieg nie

This is a useful way to learn the structure: first understand each clause by itself, then see how the word order changes when as introduces the first clause.