diff --git a/django/conf/__init__.py b/django/conf/__init__.py
index f876c490c8..61584391cd 100644
--- a/django/conf/__init__.py
+++ b/django/conf/__init__.py
@@ -127,7 +127,10 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
         try:
             mod = importlib.import_module(self.SETTINGS_MODULE)
         except ImportError as e:
-            raise ImportError("Could not import settings '%s' (Is it on sys.path?): %s" % (self.SETTINGS_MODULE, e))
+            raise ImportError(
+                "Could not import settings '%s' (Is it on sys.path? Is there an import error in the settings file?): %s"
+                % (self.SETTINGS_MODULE, e)
+            )
 
         # Settings that should be converted into tuples if they're mistakenly entered
         # as strings.