diff --git a/src/boot/driver/session.ml b/src/boot/driver/session.ml
index d295763ac06..21faed0b744 100644
--- a/src/boot/driver/session.ml
+++ b/src/boot/driver/session.ml
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ let report_err sess ido str =
   in
     match spano with
         None ->
-          fail sess "Error: %s\n%!" str
+          fail sess "error: %s\n%!" str
       | Some span ->
           fail sess "%s: error: %s\n%!"
             (string_of_span span) str
diff --git a/src/boot/fe/cexp.ml b/src/boot/fe/cexp.ml
index 9c1b40e1f21..f69d35bd16f 100644
--- a/src/boot/fe/cexp.ml
+++ b/src/boot/fe/cexp.ml
@@ -602,10 +602,11 @@ let with_err_handling sess thunk =
     thunk ()
   with
       Parse_err (ps, str) ->
-        Session.fail sess "Parse error: %s\n%!" str;
+        Session.fail sess "%s: error: %s\n%!"
+          (Session.string_of_pos (lexpos ps)) str;
         List.iter
           (fun (cx,pos) ->
-             Session.fail sess "%s:E (parse context): %s\n%!"
+             Session.fail sess "%s: (parse context): %s\n%!"
                (Session.string_of_pos pos) cx)
           ps.pstate_ctxt;
         let apos = lexpos ps in