diff --git a/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs b/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs
index dd1864ce1244..7ddb4099e0e9 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs
@@ -5388,7 +5388,10 @@ impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
         self.expect(&token::OpenDelim(token::Paren))?;
 
         if let Ok(Some(_)) = self.parse_self_arg() {
-            return Err(self.fatal("unexpected `self` argument in bare function"))
+            let mut err = self.struct_span_err(self.prev_span
+                , "unexpected `self` argument in bare function");
+            err.span_label(self.prev_span, "invalid argument in bare function");
+            return Err(err);
         }
 
         let sp = self.span;
diff --git a/src/test/ui/bare-function-self.rs b/src/test/ui/bare-function-self.rs
index 0a430aee9737..f906b176d924 100644
--- a/src/test/ui/bare-function-self.rs
+++ b/src/test/ui/bare-function-self.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 fn a(&self) { }
 //~^ ERROR unexpected `self` argument in bare function
+//~| NOTE invalid argument in bare function
 
 fn main() { }
diff --git a/src/test/ui/bare-function-self.stderr b/src/test/ui/bare-function-self.stderr
index 51db0ddd70d7..002d71b1103e 100644
--- a/src/test/ui/bare-function-self.stderr
+++ b/src/test/ui/bare-function-self.stderr
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 error: unexpected `self` argument in bare function
-  --> $DIR/bare-function-self.rs:12:11
+  --> $DIR/bare-function-self.rs:1:7
    |
 LL | fn a(&self) { }
-   |           ^
+   |       ^^^^ invalid argument in bare function
 
 error: aborting due to previous error