diff --git a/t/t1091-sparse-checkout-builtin.sh b/t/t1091-sparse-checkout-builtin.sh
index ed5e905996..afbde89e60 100755
--- a/t/t1091-sparse-checkout-builtin.sh
+++ b/t/t1091-sparse-checkout-builtin.sh
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ test_expect_success 'not-up-to-date does not block rest of sparsification' '
 
 	git -C repo sparse-checkout set deep/deeper1 2>err &&
 
-	test_i18ngrep "Cannot update sparse checkout" err &&
+	test_i18ngrep "The following paths are not up to date" err &&
 	test_cmp expect repo/.git/info/sparse-checkout &&
 	check_files repo/deep a deeper1 deeper2 &&
 	check_files repo/deep/deeper1 a deepest &&
@@ -328,10 +328,10 @@ test_expect_success 'sparse-checkout (init|set|disable) warns with dirty status'
 	echo dirty >dirty/folder1/a &&
 
 	git -C dirty sparse-checkout init 2>err &&
-	test_i18ngrep "warning.*Cannot update sparse checkout" err &&
+	test_i18ngrep "warning.*The following paths are not up to date" err &&
 
 	git -C dirty sparse-checkout set /folder2/* /deep/deeper1/* 2>err &&
-	test_i18ngrep "warning.*Cannot update sparse checkout" err &&
+	test_i18ngrep "warning.*The following paths are not up to date" err &&
 	test_path_is_file dirty/folder1/a &&
 
 	git -C dirty sparse-checkout disable 2>err &&
diff --git a/unpack-trees.c b/unpack-trees.c
index f9a5626a67..484d30a53a 100644
--- a/unpack-trees.c
+++ b/unpack-trees.c
@@ -50,10 +50,10 @@ static const char *unpack_plumbing_errors[NB_UNPACK_TREES_WARNING_TYPES] = {
 	"",
 
 	/* WARNING_SPARSE_NOT_UPTODATE_FILE */
-	"Entry '%s' not uptodate. Cannot update sparse checkout.",
+	"Path '%s' not uptodate; will not remove from working tree.",
 
 	/* WARNING_SPARSE_ORPHANED_NOT_OVERWRITTEN */
-	"Working tree file '%s' would be overwritten by sparse checkout update.",
+	"Path '%s' already present; will not overwrite with sparse update.",
 };
 
 #define ERRORMSG(o,type) \
@@ -172,9 +172,9 @@ void setup_unpack_trees_porcelain(struct unpack_trees_options *opts,
 		_("Cannot update submodule:\n%s");
 
 	msgs[WARNING_SPARSE_NOT_UPTODATE_FILE] =
-		_("Cannot update sparse checkout: the following entries are not up to date:\n%s");
+		_("The following paths are not up to date and were left despite sparse patterns:\n%s");
 	msgs[WARNING_SPARSE_ORPHANED_NOT_OVERWRITTEN] =
-		_("The following working tree files would be overwritten by sparse checkout update:\n%s");
+		_("The following paths were already present and thus not updated despite sparse patterns:\n%s");
 
 	opts->show_all_errors = 1;
 	/* rejected paths may not have a static buffer */