Jocul de societate este distractiv.

Joc means game.
Jocul means the game.

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, instead of using a separate word like English the.

• joc = a game / game
• jocul = the game

So Jocul de societate literally means the game of society, but in normal English it means the board game.

Here, de societate is a fixed expression meaning something like social or for company/social gatherings. In modern usage, joc de societate is the standard way to say board game.

So:

• joc de societate = board game
• jocul de societate = the board game

Even though societate often means society, in this expression you should learn it as a whole phrase.

Romanian often uses noun phrases with de where English uses a compound noun or adjective.

So instead of building one expression exactly like board game, Romanian uses:

• joc = game
• de = of / for
• societate = society / social gathering context

This is very common in Romanian. Compare:

• sală de clasă = classroom
• periuță de dinți = toothbrush
• joc de societate = board game

So this structure is normal and natural.

Este means is.

• Jocul de societate este distractiv. = The board game is fun.

In Romanian, the verb a fi (to be) is normally expressed in this kind of sentence, so you usually do not omit it.

You may hear e instead of este in everyday speech:

• Jocul de societate e distractiv.

That is very common and natural, but este is slightly fuller and a bit more formal or careful.

Because jocul is a masculine singular noun.

Romanian adjectives usually agree with the noun in gender and number.

• masculine singular: distractiv
• feminine singular: distractivă
• masculine plural: distractivi
• feminine plural: distractive

Since jocul is masculine singular, the correct form is distractiv.

One clue is the definite form:

• joc → jocul

Many masculine and neuter nouns form the singular definite article with -ul.

But the best way to tell is by how the noun behaves in singular and plural. Joc is actually a neuter noun in Romanian, and neuter nouns behave like:

• masculine in the singular
• feminine in the plural

So in the singular:

• jocul este distractiv

But in the plural:

• jocurile sunt distractive

That is why the adjective is masculine-looking in the singular.

Not always exactly, but it is very close here.

Distractiv often means:

• fun
• entertaining
• enjoyable

In this sentence, fun is a very natural translation.
Depending on context, entertaining might also fit.

So Jocul de societate este distractiv can be understood as:

• The board game is fun.
• The board game is entertaining.

The basic, neutral word order is:

• Jocul de societate este distractiv.

That is the most natural way to say it.

Romanian word order can be more flexible than English, but changing it usually affects emphasis. For example:

• Distractiv este jocul de societate.
  This sounds marked or literary, with emphasis on distractiv.

For learners, it is best to stick with the normal order: subject + este + adjective.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

• jocul ≈ ZHO-kool

A few notes:

• j in Romanian sounds like the s in measure
• o is a clear o
• cul here sounds roughly like kool, but shorter and lighter than English cool

The full sentence is roughly:

• ZHO-kool de so-chee-AH-te ES-te dee-strak-TEEV

That is only an approximation, but it can help at the beginning.

Yes.

• Jocul de societate este distractiv. = The board game is fun.
• Un joc de societate este distractiv. = A board game is fun.

The difference is the same kind of difference as the vs a/an in English.

So if you are talking about a specific board game already known in context, use jocul.
If you mean any board game in general, un joc is possible.

The plural is:

• Jocurile de societate sunt distractive.
• The board games are fun.

Changes:

• jocul → jocurile = the games
• este → sunt = are
• distractiv → distractive to agree with the plural neuter noun, which takes feminine plural agreement

This is a useful example of how Romanian agreement changes in the plural.