diff --git a/lib/main.js b/lib/main.js
index dd72231..656fbfd 100644
--- a/lib/main.js
+++ b/lib/main.js
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ export default {
         return helpers.exec(atom.config.get('linter-ansible-syntax.ansibleExecutablePath'), args, { cwd: require('path').dirname(file), stream: 'stderr', allowEmptyStderr: true }).then(output => {
           // capture the error
           const matchesError = /ERROR!\s(.*)/.exec(output);
+          const matchesYAMLError = /Syntax Error while loading YAML\.\n\s*(.*)\n/;
 
           // check if the output is guessing at which file has the issue; if so, capture the file name with an issue if it is elsewhere
           const matchesFile = /The error appears to (?:have been|be) in '(.*)':/.exec(output);
@@ -119,13 +120,17 @@ export default {
             const matchesRange = /line\s(\d+),\scolumn\s(\d+)/.exec(output);
             let theRange = [[0, 0], [0, 1]];
 
+            // if this is a yaml syntax error, then replace the ansible error message with the yaml syntax error
+            let excerpt = matchesYAMLError == null ? matchesError[1] : matchesYAMLError[1];
+
+            // parse range
             if (matchesRange != null) {
               theRange = [[Number.parseInt(matchesRange[1], 10) - 1, Number.parseInt(matchesRange[2], 10) - 1], [Number.parseInt(matchesRange[1], 10) - 1, Number.parseInt(matchesRange[2], 10)]];
             }
 
             toReturn.push({
               severity: 'error',
-              excerpt: matchesError[1],
+              excerpt,
               location: {
                 file: theFile,
                 position: theRange,
diff --git a/spec/linter-ansible-syntax-spec.js b/spec/linter-ansible-syntax-spec.js
index 2c87790..e61e10d 100644
--- a/spec/linter-ansible-syntax-spec.js
+++ b/spec/linter-ansible-syntax-spec.js
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ describe('The Ansible Syntax Check provider for Linter', () => {
           expect(messages[0].location.file).toBeDefined();
           expect(messages[0].location.file).toMatch(/.+yaml_syntax\.yml$/);
           expect(messages[0].location.position).toBeDefined();
-          expect(messages[0].location.position).toEqual([[9, 0], [9, 1]]);
+          expect(messages[0].location.position).toEqual([[8, 0], [8, 1]]);
         });
       });
     });