Það getur drepið.

It can be either, depending on context.

• If you are referring back to something already mentioned, það usually corresponds to it.
• If you are pointing something out, it can feel more like that.

So Það getur drepið can be understood as It can kill or That can kill, depending on the situation.

Getur is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb geta, which means can / be able to.

It matches the subject það:

• ég get = I can
• þú getur = you can
• hann/hún/það getur = he/she/it can
• við getum = we can
• þið getið = you all can
• þeir/þær/þau geta = they can

So Það getur ... literally starts as It can ...

This is one of the most important grammar points in the sentence.

After geta meaning can / be able to, Icelandic normally uses the supine form of the main verb, often called sagnbót, not the plain infinitive.

So:

• dictionary form: að drepa = to kill
• after geta: getur drepið = can kill

This is completely normal in Icelandic:

• Ég get komið = I can come
• Hún getur skilið þetta = She can understand this
• Það getur drepið = It can kill

So even though learners may expect drepa, drepið is the correct form after getur.

No. The sentence is present tense, because the finite verb is getur.

Here, drepið is not functioning as a standalone past tense. It is the non-finite supine form used after geta.

A helpful way to think about it is:

• getur carries the tense: can
• drepið gives the action: kill

So the whole sentence means can kill, not has killed or killed.

Because geta does not take að before the following verb in this construction.

In English we say can kill, not can to kill. Icelandic works similarly here.

So:

• Það getur drepið = correct
• Það getur að drepið = incorrect

The verb after geta comes directly, in the supine form.

It is simply left unstated, just as in English.

Drepa usually takes an object, but Icelandic can omit it when the meaning is general or obvious from context. So Það getur drepið means something like:

• It can kill someone
• It can kill you
• It can be deadly

The sentence sounds like a general warning rather than a fully detailed statement.

It can express either, and context decides.

In this sentence, Það getur drepið most naturally suggests potential or danger:

• It is capable of killing
• It can be deadly

So it often feels less like simple ability and more like a warning about what something is able to do.

You can do it like this:

• Það getur ekki drepið. = It cannot kill.
• Getur það drepið? = Can it kill?

Notice two things:

1. ekki is the usual word for not
2. In a yes/no question, the finite verb getur comes first

That same pattern is very common in Icelandic.