Help with sentences - it and is vs. are

[bleiva]

Hello I wanted to ask for help with two sentences. I came across the first one when looking up the lyrics to one of Green Day's songs and the second one popped up in my head all of a sudden.

1.- "Everything that I need, I need from you." (Green Day song) Why is this correct? Personally, I'd say "Everything that I need, I need it from you." Is this also correct or not?

and the other sentence,

2.- "The most important thing to me is/are my friends." I'm having trouble identifying the subject, is it "friends" or "the most important thing"? (which is why I don't really know if I should use "is" or "are")

Thank you for reading my message.

 

[Barb_D]

It's best to have different questions in different threads. I'm going to answer the first one and hope you will start a new thread with the second question.

First, realize that lyrics are often ungrammatical, illogical, and even completley nonsensical.
Other times, the grammar is more-or-less right, but the sentence might be in an unusual order to make it fit the rhythm of the song.

Usual order: I need [something].
Unusual order: Something I need from you.

Now, replace "something" with "Everything that I need."

Translation: You are the only thing in this world that I need. There is nothing that I need that I don't get from you.

 

[bleiva]

Okay, thank you for the advice, I'll start a new thread then.

Regarding the first question, I think I'm starting to understand now. So:

"Everything that I need I need from you". Would be okay with the "it" being "everything that I need".

But if I added a comma in the middle of the sentence, I'd have to add an "it" right? "Everything that I need, I need it from you." Would this be correct? This is my last question about the first sentence. Thank you so, so much.

 

[Raymott]

Okay, thank you for the advice, I'll start a new thread then.

Regarding the first question, I think I'm starting to understand now. So:

"Everything that I need I need from you". Would be okay with the "it" being "everything that I need".

But if I added a comma in the middle of the sentence, I'd have to add an "it" right? "Everything that I need, I need it from you." Would this be correct? This is my last question about the first sentence. Thank you so, so much.

It's optional, even with a comma.
Do you add an 'it' in Spanish; "Todo lo que necesito, lo necesito de ti"?. If so, then it works differently in English.
However, 'it' can be inserted if you want to, as in the Bryan Adam's song, "Everything I do, I do it for you." But it's not grammatically necessary in English.

 

[bleiva]

Yes, that's exactly why I got confused with the sentence. In spanish you add the "it" (Todo lo que necesito, lo necesito de ti), so reading "Everything I need I need from you" sounds a bit odd to me but I understand that English works differently. Thank you