Look who’s talking! [Dutch phrase of the week]  

This phrase is always used to express irony. The literal translation – "Must you necessarily say" – does not make much sense, but something like "It is really necessary that you say that…NOT" would somewhat cover its meaning. Luckily, there’s a dedicated English phrase for it: "Look who’s talking".

The phrase can be used in every person, see the Examples.

Examples:
– "Jij bent echt druk!" – "Moet jij nodig zeggen! Ik probeer al weken een afspraak met je te maken!"
("You’re a really busy person!" – "Look who’s talking! I’ve been trying for weeks now, to make an appointment with you!")

– "Frank beweert dat jij je snor hebt gedrukt tijdens de vergadering." – "Moet hij nodig zeggen! Hij kwam tien minuten te laat!"
("Frank claims that you weaseled out during the meeting." – "Look who’s talking! He came in ten minutes late!")

– "Wordt het niet eens tijd dat je gaat stofzuigen?" – "Moet jij nodig zeggen, jij zou afwassen weet je nog?!"
("Isn’t it about time that you start vacuum-cleaning?" – "Look who’s talking, you were supposed to wash up / do the dishes, remember?!")

Related words:
– "Nodig": necessary, needful.
– "Zeggen": to say.

Related expressions:
– "Moet je horen wie het zegt!": this phrase can be used the same way as "moet jij nodig zeggen" but you don’t have to conjugate as you are not addressing somebody directly.
– "Het moet niet gekker worden!": This is ridiculous!