diff --git a/src/components/structures/auth/Login.tsx b/src/components/structures/auth/Login.tsx
index cb09ade895..f50f2167b5 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/auth/Login.tsx
+++ b/src/components/structures/auth/Login.tsx
@@ -476,8 +476,8 @@ export default class LoginComponent extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState>
             errCode = "HTTP " + err.httpStatus;
         }
 
-        let errorText: ReactNode = _t("Error: Problem communicating with the given homeserver.") +
-            (errCode ? " (" + errCode + ")" : "");
+        let errorText: ReactNode = _t("There was a problem communicating with the homeserver, " +
+            "please try again later.") + (errCode ? " (" + errCode + ")" : "");
 
         if (err.cors === 'rejected') {
             if (window.location.protocol === 'https:' &&
diff --git a/src/components/structures/auth/Registration.tsx b/src/components/structures/auth/Registration.tsx
index a31a07a96b..f954c50b13 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/auth/Registration.tsx
+++ b/src/components/structures/auth/Registration.tsx
@@ -366,6 +366,8 @@ export default class Registration extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
                 if (!msisdnAvailable) {
                     msg = _t('This server does not support authentication with a phone number.');
                 }
+            } else if (response.errcode === "M_USER_IN_USE") {
+                msg = _t("That username already exists, please try another.");
             }
             this.setState({
                 busy: false,
diff --git a/src/components/views/auth/PasswordLogin.tsx b/src/components/views/auth/PasswordLogin.tsx
index 80384ba26e..84e583c3a5 100644
--- a/src/components/views/auth/PasswordLogin.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/auth/PasswordLogin.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
-Copyright 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 New Vector Ltd.
+Copyright 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 The Matrix.org Foundation C.I.C.
 
 Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ export default class PasswordLogin extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState> {
             }, {
                 key: "number",
                 test: ({ value }) => !value || PHONE_NUMBER_REGEX.test(value),
-                invalid: () => _t("Doesn't look like a valid phone number"),
+                invalid: () => _t("That phone number doesn't look quite right, please check and try again"),
             },
         ],
     });
diff --git a/src/components/views/auth/RegistrationForm.tsx b/src/components/views/auth/RegistrationForm.tsx
index b005c8e0e2..8c8103fd09 100644
--- a/src/components/views/auth/RegistrationForm.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/auth/RegistrationForm.tsx
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ export default class RegistrationForm extends React.PureComponent<IProps, IState
             {
                 key: "email",
                 test: ({ value }) => !value || phoneNumberLooksValid(value),
-                invalid: () => _t("Doesn't look like a valid phone number"),
+                invalid: () => _t("That phone number doesn't look quite right, please check and try again"),
             },
         ],
     });