Learn Romanian: Vântul bate din nord. - The wind blows from the north.

Yes, the literal translation of the verb a bate is "to beat", "to strike", or "to knock". However, in Romanian, this is the standard verb used to say the wind is blowing. You can think of it as the wind "beating" against things.

Why is the definite article -ul added to the end of vânt?

Vânt (wind) is a neuter noun. In the singular, Romanian neuter nouns behave exactly like masculine nouns. Because vânt ends in a consonant, you add the suffix -ul to make it "the wind" (vântul).

Why use din for "from" here instead of de la?

Din (which is a combination of de and în) means "out of" or "from the inside of". In Romanian, it is the standard preposition used with compass directions to say where something originates (din nord, din sud). De la is generally used for coming from a person, an event, or a specific starting location.

Are compass directions like nord capitalized in Romanian?

Generally, no. Compass directions like nord (north), sud (south), est (east), and vest (west) are written entirely in lowercase. They are only capitalized when they form part of a proper name or a specific geopolitical region, such as America de Nord (North America).