diff --git a/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/use_.rs b/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/use_.rs
index 1d364379d..9d98e34fa 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/use_.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/use_.rs
@@ -296,3 +296,18 @@ fn use_main_not_exported() {
 
     assert!(actual.err.contains("external_command"));
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn use_sub_subname_error_if_not_from_submodule() {
+    let inp = r#"module spam { export def foo [] {}; export def bar [] {} }; use spam foo bar"#;
+    let actual = nu!(inp);
+    assert!(actual.err.contains("try `use <module> [<name1>, <name2>]`"))
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn can_use_sub_subname_from_submodule() {
+    let inp =
+        r#"module spam { export module foo { export def bar [] {"bar"} } }; use spam foo bar; bar"#;
+    let actual = nu!(inp);
+    assert_eq!(actual.out, "bar")
+}
diff --git a/crates/nu-protocol/src/ast/import_pattern.rs b/crates/nu-protocol/src/ast/import_pattern.rs
index 6a9553fa0..2af08087a 100644
--- a/crates/nu-protocol/src/ast/import_pattern.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-protocol/src/ast/import_pattern.rs
@@ -10,6 +10,22 @@ pub enum ImportPatternMember {
     List { names: Vec<(Vec<u8>, Span)> },
 }
 
+impl ImportPatternMember {
+    pub fn span(&self) -> Span {
+        let mut spans = vec![];
+        match self {
+            ImportPatternMember::Glob { span } => spans.push(*span),
+            ImportPatternMember::Name { name: _, span } => spans.push(*span),
+            ImportPatternMember::List { names } => {
+                for (_, span) in names {
+                    spans.push(*span);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        span(&spans)
+    }
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct ImportPatternHead {
     pub name: Vec<u8>,
@@ -46,15 +62,7 @@ impl ImportPattern {
         let mut spans = vec![self.head.span];
 
         for member in &self.members {
-            match member {
-                ImportPatternMember::Glob { span } => spans.push(*span),
-                ImportPatternMember::Name { name: _, span } => spans.push(*span),
-                ImportPatternMember::List { names } => {
-                    for (_, span) in names {
-                        spans.push(*span);
-                    }
-                }
-            }
+            spans.push(member.span());
         }
 
         span(&spans)
diff --git a/crates/nu-protocol/src/module.rs b/crates/nu-protocol/src/module.rs
index f45dd55d9..ebb6f5621 100644
--- a/crates/nu-protocol/src/module.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-protocol/src/module.rs
@@ -157,6 +157,17 @@ impl Module {
 
         match head {
             ImportPatternMember::Name { name, span } => {
+                // raise errors if user wants to do something like this:
+                // `use a b c`: but b is not a sub-module of a.
+                let errors = if !rest.is_empty() && self.submodules.get(name).is_none() {
+                    vec![ParseError::WrongImportPattern(
+                        format!("Trying to import something but the parent `{}` is not a module, maybe you want to try `use <module> [<name1>, <name2>]`", String::from_utf8_lossy(name)),
+                        rest[0].span(),
+                    )]
+                } else {
+                    vec![]
+                };
+
                 if name == b"main" {
                     if let Some(main_decl_id) = self.main {
                         (
@@ -165,7 +176,7 @@ impl Module {
                                 vec![],
                                 vec![],
                             ),
-                            vec![],
+                            errors,
                         )
                     } else {
                         (
@@ -176,7 +187,7 @@ impl Module {
                 } else if let Some(decl_id) = self.decls.get(name) {
                     (
                         ResolvedImportPattern::new(vec![(name.clone(), *decl_id)], vec![], vec![]),
-                        vec![],
+                        errors,
                     )
                 } else if let Some(var_id) = self.constants.get(name) {
                     match working_set.get_constant(*var_id) {
@@ -186,7 +197,7 @@ impl Module {
                                 vec![],
                                 vec![(name.clone(), const_val.clone())],
                             ),
-                            vec![],
+                            errors,
                         ),
                         Err(err) => (
                             ResolvedImportPattern::new(vec![], vec![], vec![]),
diff --git a/crates/nu-protocol/src/parse_error.rs b/crates/nu-protocol/src/parse_error.rs
index 94fd9be64..d5acc47a8 100644
--- a/crates/nu-protocol/src/parse_error.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-protocol/src/parse_error.rs
@@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ pub enum ParseError {
     MissingImportPattern(#[label = "needs an import pattern"] Span),
 
     #[error("Wrong import pattern structure.")]
-    #[diagnostic(code(nu::parser::missing_import_pattern))]
+    #[diagnostic(code(nu::parser::wrong_import_pattern))]
     WrongImportPattern(String, #[label = "{0}"] Span),
 
     #[error("Export not found.")]