Vi skal aflevere batterier.

Skal is a modal verb. In this sentence it usually means must, have to, or need to.

So Vi skal aflevere batterier often means something like:

• We have to hand in batteries
• We need to drop off batteries

Depending on context, skal can also sometimes point to the future, like are going to, but very often it expresses obligation.

After Danish modal verbs such as:

• skal
• kan
• vil
• må
• bør

the next verb is normally in the bare infinitive, without at.

So you say:

• Vi skal aflevere batterier

not:

• Vi skal at aflevere batterier

This is similar to English we must hand in rather than we must to hand in.

Aflevere is a very common verb meaning hand in, submit, deliver, return, or drop off, depending on the situation.

Examples:

• aflevere lektier = hand in homework
• aflevere en bog = return a book
• aflevere batterier = drop off / hand in batteries

With batterier, it often suggests taking used batteries to a collection point for recycling or safe disposal.

Batterier is the indefinite plural form: batteries in a general sense.

• et batteri = a battery
• batterier = batteries
• batteriet = the battery
• batterierne = the batteries

So:

• Vi skal aflevere batterier = We need to hand in batteries
  (batteries in general / some batteries)

If you meant specific batteries already known from the context, you might say:

• Vi skal aflevere batterierne = We need to hand in the batteries

In Danish, just like in English, plural nouns often appear without an article when speaking generally.

So:

• Vi skal aflevere batterier

is natural, just like English We need to hand in batteries.

If you wanted to say some batteries, Danish could use:

• Vi skal aflevere nogle batterier

If you wanted the batteries, it would be:

• Vi skal aflevere batterierne

The basic order here is:

• Vi = subject
• skal = finite verb
• aflevere = infinitive verb
• batterier = object

So the pattern is:

Subject + finite verb + infinitive + object

This is very common with modal verbs in Danish.

Compare:

• Jeg skal læse bogen = I have to read the book
• De vil købe mad = They want to buy food

Yes. Danish follows the V2 rule in main clauses, which means the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

So if you move something else to the front, skal still stays second:

• I morgen skal vi aflevere batterier = Tomorrow we need to hand in batteries

Notice that vi moves after skal.

In a yes/no question, the verb comes first:

• Skal vi aflevere batterier? = Do we need to hand in batteries?

With negation:

• Vi skal ikke aflevere batterier = We do not need to hand in batteries / We must not hand in batteries
  (exact meaning depends on context)

In a full standard sentence like this, yes. Danish normally requires an explicit subject.

So:

• Vi skal aflevere batterier = correct
• Skal aflevere batterier = not a normal complete sentence on its own

This is similar to English, where you normally say We have to hand in batteries, not just Have to hand in batteries, unless it is very informal speech or a note.

A rough English-friendly guide might be:

vee skel AFLuh-vay-ruh bah-tuh-REE-er

A more accurate IPA version is approximately:

[vi skɛl ˈɑfleˌveːɐ bɑtʰəˈʁiˀɐ]

A few pronunciation notes:

• Vi sounds like vee
• skal has a short vowel, roughly like skel
• aflevere has the stress near the beginning: AF-levere
• batterier has stress near the end

As usual with Danish, the real spoken form can sound more reduced than the spelling suggests.

Yes, sometimes skal can be understood in more than one way.

For example, Vi skal aflevere batterier could mean:

• We have to hand in batteries
• We are supposed to hand in batteries
• We are going to hand in batteries

In real life, the context usually makes the meaning clear. If someone is talking about a rule, it sounds like obligation. If they are talking about today’s plan, it may feel closer to we’re going to.