diff --git a/lang/en/moodle.php b/lang/en/moodle.php
index addc4f7a150ad..6844d5fd3a8ab 100644
--- a/lang/en/moodle.php
+++ b/lang/en/moodle.php
@@ -620,6 +620,8 @@
 $string['emailenable'] = 'This email address is enabled';
 $string['emailenableclick'] = 'Click here to re-enable all email being sent to this address';
 $string['emailexists'] = 'This email address is already registered.';
+$string['emailexistssignuphint'] = 'Perhaps you created an account in the past? {$a}';
+$string['emailexistshintlink'] = 'Recover forgotten username or password';
 $string['emailformat'] = 'Email format';
 $string['emailcharset'] = 'Email charset';
 $string['emailmustbereal'] = 'Note: your email address must be a real one';
diff --git a/lib/authlib.php b/lib/authlib.php
index 4af4bcb0a6346..ae7261958c875 100644
--- a/lib/authlib.php
+++ b/lib/authlib.php
@@ -887,7 +887,9 @@ function signup_validate_data($data, $files) {
         $errors['email'] = get_string('invalidemail');
 
     } else if ($DB->record_exists('user', array('email' => $data['email']))) {
-        $errors['email'] = get_string('emailexists').' <a href="forgot_password.php">'.get_string('newpassword').'?</a>';
+        $errors['email'] = get_string('emailexists') . ' ' .
+                get_string('emailexistssignuphint', 'moodle',
+                        html_writer::link(new moodle_url('/login/forgot_password.php'), get_string('emailexistshintlink')));
     }
     if (empty($data['email2'])) {
         $errors['email2'] = get_string('missingemail');