Die tandarts sê my tand is nou beter, maar ek kon al gister gekom het.

Yes. Tandarts is a compound noun:

• tand = tooth
• arts = doctor

So it literally means tooth doctor, i.e. dentist.

Afrikaans makes a lot of compound nouns like this, just as English does in words like toothbrush or bedroom.

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.

So:

• die tandarts = the dentist

A useful thing for English speakers: Afrikaans does not change the definite article for gender. It is simply die for all nouns.

Afrikaans often leaves out dat after verbs like sê when the meaning is clear.

So both of these are possible:

• Die tandarts sê my tand is nou beter
• Die tandarts sê dat my tand nou beter is

Both mean the same thing.

The difference is mainly in structure:

• without dat: my tand is nou beter
• with dat: my tand nou beter is

So if dat appears, the verb is moves to the end of that clause.

Afrikaans possessive adjectives are very simple. You just use:

• my = my
• jou = your
• sy = his
• haar = her
• ons = our
• hulle = their

So:

• my tand = my tooth

There is no extra ending here. In that sense, Afrikaans is simpler than some other Germanic languages.

Because beter can be used on its own, just like English better.

So my tand is nou beter means:

• my tooth is better now
• my tooth is improved now

The comparison is understood from context: better than before.

Afrikaans often does this with comparative forms when the comparison is obvious.

Nou usually means now.

In my tand is nou beter, it tells you the time frame: the tooth is better now, at the present moment.

Word order here is normal for a main clause:

• my tand = subject
• is = verb
• nou = time word
• beter = complement

If you used dat, the order would change:

• ... dat my tand nou beter is

Here al means something like:

• already
• as early as
• even

So al gister does not translate word-for-word very naturally into English. The idea is:

• already yesterday
• as early as yesterday

In this sentence, it suggests that the speaker did not need to wait so long; yesterday would already have been possible.

This is a very common Afrikaans pattern for an unrealized possibility in the past.

Break it up like this:

• ek = I
• kon = could
• al gister = already yesterday / as early as yesterday
• gekom het = have come

Together:

• ek kon al gister gekom het = I could have come as early as yesterday

The meaning is that coming yesterday was possible, but it did not actually happen.

Because the sentence combines:

• a modal verb: kan → kon
• a completed past action: gekom het

So:

• kon shows ability/possibility
• gekom het shows the action of coming as something completed in the past

This combination gives the English idea could have come.

A useful comparison:

• Ek kan kom = I can come
• Ek kon kom = I could come / I was able to come
• Ek kon gekom het = I could have come

That is because Afrikaans word order changes in verb clusters.

In a simple perfect tense, you often get:

• Ek het gekom = I came / I have come

But when a modal like kon is already the finite verb, the rest of the verb phrase moves to the end:

• Ek kon gekom het

So in this kind of structure:

• the modal kon comes earlier
• the participle gekom comes near the end
• het comes last

For English speakers, this can feel unusual, but it is a normal Afrikaans pattern.

Yes. Both are possible.

• ek kon al gister gekom het
• ek kon gister al gekom het

Both express the idea I could have come as early as yesterday.

The difference is mostly one of rhythm or emphasis:

• al gister highlights already/as early as yesterday
• gister al is also very natural and common

So this is more about style and focus than a major difference in meaning.

The circumflex in sê is part of the standard spelling of the word.

It helps show the correct vowel sound and distinguishes the word in writing. For learners, the best approach is simply to memorize it as:

• sê = say / says

So in the sentence:

• Die tandarts sê ... = The dentist says ...

It is not optional in careful standard spelling.