Die tandarts verduidelik wat die X-straal ook al wys.

Die tandarts means the dentist.

• die = the
• tandarts = dentist

Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for all nouns, whether singular or plural. Unlike English, there is no separate word like a/an here in this sentence.

Because both nouns are definite:

• Die tandarts = the dentist
• die X-straal = the X-ray

Afrikaans uses the same article, die, for the in all these cases. It does not change for gender, and it is also used for plural nouns.

Verduidelik means explains or is explaining, depending on context.

It is the basic verb form. In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change according to the subject the way they do in English:

• Ek verduidelik = I explain
• Hy verduidelik = he explains
• Die tandarts verduidelik = the dentist explains

So verduidelik stays the same.

Afrikaans does not normally use a helping verb like English does in ordinary positive statements.

English:

• The dentist explains

Afrikaans:

• Die tandarts verduidelik

You only see something like do/does in English because English needs it in some structures. Afrikaans usually does not.

Here wat introduces a clause meaning what.

In this sentence, it begins the part that tells us what the X-ray shows:

• wat die X-straal ... wys = what the X-ray shows

So wat is not a relative pronoun like that/which here; it is more like what.

Because wat die X-straal ook al wys is a subordinate clause, and in Afrikaans the verb often goes to the end in subordinate clauses.

Compare:

• Main clause: Die X-straal wys ... = The X-ray shows ...
• Subordinate clause: wat die X-straal ... wys = what the X-ray shows

That final wys is very normal after words like dat, omdat, as, wat, and so on.

Ook al adds the sense of whatever or no matter what.

So:

• wat die X-straal wys = what the X-ray shows
• wat die X-straal ook al wys = whatever the X-ray shows / no matter what the X-ray shows

It makes the meaning broader and more emphatic.

In English, whatever is one word, but Afrikaans often builds this idea as:

• wat ... ook al = whatever
• wie ... ook al = whoever
• waar ... ook al = wherever

So the pattern is not strange in Afrikaans. The words of the clause can come between wat and ook al:

• wat die X-straal ook al wys

Literally, it is something like:

• what the X-ray ever/all the same shows

But naturally it means:

• whatever the X-ray shows

That would sound unnatural here. The normal Afrikaans pattern is:

• wat die X-straal ook al wys

So ook al usually comes later in the clause, not directly after wat in this kind of sentence.

X-straal is the Afrikaans word for X-ray.

It is normally written with a hyphen. Depending on context, it can refer to:

• the X-ray image
• the X-ray radiation
• sometimes the scan/result in everyday speech

In this sentence, it clearly means the X-ray result/image that shows something.

Yes. Both verbs are in the present tense form:

• verduidelik = explains / is explaining
• wys = shows

As often in Afrikaans, the simple present can cover both English explains and is explaining, depending on context.

Because the sentence is structured differently. In English, you might say:

• The dentist explains what the X-ray shows
• not usually The dentist explains that what the X-ray shows... in this exact structure

Afrikaans works the same way here:

• Die tandarts verduidelik wat die X-straal ook al wys

The verb verduidelik can be followed directly by a clause beginning with wat.

Yes. The phrase wat ... ook al gives a slight nuance of:

• whatever it may show
• no matter what it shows

So the sentence can feel a bit more general or reassuring, depending on context. It is not just about a specific known result, but about explaining the result regardless of what it turns out to be.