A meno che la pecora non salti, la capra resta dall’altra parte del recinto.

A meno che means unless.

It introduces an exception:

• A meno che la pecora non salti... = Unless the sheep jumps...

It is commonly followed by the subjunctive, which is why you get salti and not salta here.

A very common pattern is:

a meno che + subject + non + subjunctive

For example:

• A meno che tu non venga, partiamo. = Unless you come, we’re leaving.

No, this non does not make the clause negative.

This is the so-called expletive non. After expressions like a meno che, Italian often uses non even though the meaning is still just unless.

So:

• A meno che la pecora non salti
  means
• Unless the sheep jumps

It does not mean:

• Unless the sheep does not jump

That extra non is a grammatical feature of standard Italian after certain expressions. In everyday speech, some speakers may omit it, but in careful or standard Italian it is very common.

Because a meno che normally requires the subjunctive mood.

Here:

• salta = present indicative
• salti = present subjunctive

Italian uses the subjunctive after certain conjunctions and expressions that involve uncertainty, condition, possibility, emotion, or subjectivity. A meno che is one of them.

So:

• A meno che la pecora non salti = correct
• A meno che la pecora non salta = generally considered incorrect in standard Italian

Salti is the third-person singular present subjunctive of saltare (to jump).

Present subjunctive of saltare:

• che io salti
• che tu salti
• che lui/lei salti
• che noi saltiamo
• che voi saltiate
• che loro saltino

Since la pecora is singular and feminine, the verb takes the third-person singular form:

• la pecora salti

Yes. Italian uses definite articles more often than English does.

In this sentence:

• la pecora = the sheep
• la capra = the goat

Even when English might sometimes omit the article or phrase things differently, Italian often keeps it. With animals, people, and nouns in general, the definite article is very common.

So this sounds natural in Italian:

• la pecora
• la capra

Dropping the article here would sound incomplete or unnatural in standard Italian.

Resta means stays or remains.

It comes from restare. In this sentence:

• la capra resta dall’altra parte del recinto = the goat stays/remains on the other side of the fence

Yes, rimane would also be possible in many contexts:

• La capra rimane dall’altra parte del recinto

Both restare and rimanere can mean to remain / to stay, though usage can vary by region, style, and nuance. In this sentence, resta sounds perfectly natural.

Dall’altra parte means on the other side.

It is made up of:

• da
• la
• altra parte

But da + la contracts to dalla. Since altra begins with a vowel, you get:

• da + l’altra parte → dall’altra parte

So:

• dall’altra parte = from/on the other side

In this sentence, the full phrase is:

• dall’altra parte del recinto = on the other side of the enclosure/fence

Because la becomes l’ before a vowel.

So:

• la altra becomes l’altra

This is standard Italian elision.

You will see the same thing with many feminine singular nouns or adjectives beginning with a vowel:

• l’amica
• l’acqua
• l’altra

Del recinto means of the enclosure / of the fence / of the pen, depending on context.

Del is a contraction of:

• di + il = del

So:

• del recinto = of the enclosure

Recinto usually refers to an enclosed area, a pen, enclosure, or fenced space. Depending on the translation you were given, fence may be a natural English rendering, but literally recinto is the enclosed space or boundary structure.

It can do both, depending on context.

Italian often uses the present tense in sentences that express:

• general truths
• habitual situations
• vivid conditions
• near-future or practical future meaning

So:

• A meno che la pecora non salti, la capra resta...

can sound like:

• a general rule
• a current situation
• a likely future outcome

English often does something similar in conditional sentences:

• Unless the sheep jumps, the goat stays...

So the present tense here is completely natural.

Yes, it could be reversed.

The sentence begins with the exception/condition:

• A meno che la pecora non salti, ...

This is very natural, especially when the speaker wants to set up the condition first.

You could also say:

• La capra resta dall’altra parte del recinto, a meno che la pecora non salti.

That means essentially the same thing.

When the a meno che clause comes first, a comma is normally used before the main clause, just as in English with an opening conditional clause.

Sometimes yes, but not always with exactly the same tone or structure.

Se non can also mean unless in some contexts:

• Se la pecora non salta, la capra resta dall’altra parte del recinto.

That is understandable and natural.

However, a meno che is a more direct and explicit equivalent of unless, and it typically takes the subjunctive:

• A meno che la pecora non salti...

With se non, you usually use the indicative:

• Se la pecora non salta...

So both can work, but the grammar after them is different.