Index: contrib/binutils/bfd/elflink.c
===================================================================
--- contrib/binutils/bfd/elflink.c
+++ contrib/binutils/bfd/elflink.c
@@ -4356,9 +4356,38 @@
 		 --no-add-needed is used.  */
 	      if ((elf_dyn_lib_class (abfd) & DYN_NO_NEEDED) != 0)
 		{
+		  bfd_boolean looks_soish;
+		  const char *print_name;
+		  int print_len;
+		  size_t len, lend = 0;
+
+		  looks_soish = FALSE;
+		  print_name = soname;
+		  print_len = strlen(soname);
+		  if (strncmp(soname, "lib", 3) == 0)
+		    {
+		      len = print_len;
+		      if (len > 5 && strcmp(soname + len - 2, ".a") == 0)
+			lend = len - 5;
+		      else
+			{
+			  while (len > 6 && (ISDIGIT(soname[len - 1]) ||
+					     soname[len - 1] == '.'))
+			    len--;
+			  if (strncmp(soname + len - 3, ".so", 3) == 0)
+			    lend = len - 6;
+			}
+		      if (lend != 0)
+			{
+			  print_name = soname + 3;
+			  print_len = lend;
+			  looks_soish = TRUE;
+		    	}
+		    }
+
 		  (*_bfd_error_handler)
-		    (_("%B: invalid DSO for symbol `%s' definition"),
-		    abfd, name);
+		    (_("undefined reference to symbol `%s' (try adding -l%s%.*s)"),
+		    name, looks_soish? "" : ":", print_len, print_name);
 		  bfd_set_error (bfd_error_bad_value);
 		  goto error_free_vers;
 		}
Index: contrib/binutils/bfd/po/bfd.pot
===================================================================
--- contrib/binutils/bfd/po/bfd.pot
+++ contrib/binutils/bfd/po/bfd.pot
@@ -2438,9 +2438,9 @@
 msgid "Warning: size of symbol `%s' changed from %lu in %B to %lu in %B"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: elflink.c:4309
+#: elflink.c:4388
 #, c-format
-msgid "%B: invalid DSO for symbol `%s' definition"
+msgid "undefined reference to symbol `%s' (try adding -l%s%s)"
 msgstr ""
 
 #: elflink.c:5535