He got excited when he read that book!

[Marika33]

• He got excited when he read that book!
  (from Duolingo)

Which does this sentence mean?
1. That every time he read (some of) that book (even if it happened once), he got excited or 2) that when he had finished that book, he got excited?

 

[Piscean]

There is not enough context for us to be sure.

 

[Tarheel]

For a change, I think past tense expresses the thought better, this:

Something he read in the book excited him.

 

[Marika33]

There is not enough context for us to be sure.

I wish there were enough, but it's a sentence from Duolingo, and there isn't any context given.

Still, which of the two should I expect "by default" from that sentence?

 

[Tarheel]

As you can imagine, I prefer my version.

1. Every time he read the book he got excited.

Something about that book delighted him, and he experienced that same feeling every time he read it.

2. When he finished the book he got excited.

That tells me he was happy to finish the book.

 

[Piscean]

I wish there were enough, but it's a sentence from Duolingo, and there isn't any context given.

Still, which of the two should I expect "by default" from that sentence?

If there is not enough context, it is pointless to try to come up with a 'default' situation.

 

[emsr2d2]

Duolingo is great for learning vocabulary and for the basics of grammar but in terms of helping you produce natural, useful English, its use is limited.
I've used Duolingo for Spanish but many of the full sentences it makes you create are pointless. I can definitely say I have never found myself stuck in a small Spanish village, really wishing I knew how to say "The judge eats fish on Tuesdays".

 

[Marika33]

If there is not enough context, it is pointless to try to come up with a 'default' situation.

It's just insane to me that English is so context dependent.

So, I suppose the answer to my original question should be "It could mean either depending on a context", it would've saved us a lot of time.

 

[emsr2d2]

It's just insane to me that English is so context-dependent.

Note my addition of the hyphen above. The importance of context drives a lot of learners mad. You can join a very large club!

So, I suppose the answer to my original question should be could have been "It could mean either depending on a [the] context". It would've saved us a lot of time.

Please note my corrections above.
That's an alternative possible response. However, Piscean's response was fair and relevant. It also serves as a good reminder to all learners on this site that we need context.

 

[Marika33]

Note my addition of the hyphen above. The importance of context drives a lot of learners mad. You can join a very large club!

I have already!

I'm sorry, why did you change "a context" to "the context"? I wasn't talking about a specific context, but about one of many different ones.

+ Why did you change "should be" to "could have been"? I meant that the sentence should now be "...", not that it could have been that.