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C'est cette coupe qu'ils veulent garder.

C'est cette coupe qu'ils veulent garder.
It is this cup that they want to keep.
From Lesson 163:Emphasis (c'est... qui / c'est... que)·French

Questions & Answers about C'est cette coupe qu'ils veulent garder.

Why do we use qu' here instead of qui?
We use the emphatic structure c'est... que to highlight the object of a sentence. Here, cette coupe is the direct object (the thing they want to keep), while ils is the subject (the people doing the wanting). If the highlighted part were the subject doing the action, we would use c'est... qui instead.
Is qu'ils short for que ils or qui ils?
It is short for que ils. The word que always drops its e and becomes qu' before a vowel sound. The relative pronoun qui never drops its i, so if you see qu', you can be certain it comes from que.
Does coupe mean a cup you drink tea or coffee out of?
No, a regular tea or coffee cup is a tasse. The word coupe usually refers to a sports trophy (like la Coupe du monde), a wide glass for champagne, or a haircut. Since they want to keep it in this sentence, it is definitely a championship trophy.
Why isn't the verb garder conjugated?
Because it immediately follows the conjugated verb veulent (they want). In French, when you have two verbs paired together like this, the second verb stays in its infinitive (dictionary) form. It works just like English: 'they want to keep'.

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