diff --git a/src/compiler/parse/state/mustache.ts b/src/compiler/parse/state/mustache.ts
index 4a1578ada5..c470ab548e 100644
--- a/src/compiler/parse/state/mustache.ts
+++ b/src/compiler/parse/state/mustache.ts
@@ -160,57 +160,47 @@ export default function mustache(parser: Parser) {
 
 			parser.stack.push(block.else);
 		}
-	} else if (parser.eat(':then')) {
-		// TODO DRY out this and the next section
-		const pending_block = parser.current();
-		if (pending_block.type === 'PendingBlock') {
-			pending_block.end = start;
-			parser.stack.pop();
-			const await_block = parser.current();
+	} else if (parser.match(':then') || parser.match(':catch')) {
+		const block = parser.current();
+		const isThen = parser.eat(':then') || !parser.eat(':catch');
 
-			if (!parser.eat('}')) {
-				parser.require_whitespace();
-				await_block.value = parser.read_identifier();
-				parser.allow_whitespace();
-				parser.eat('}', true);
+		if (isThen) {
+			if (block.type !== 'PendingBlock') {
+				parser.error({
+					code: `invalid-then-placement`,
+					message: 'Cannot have an {:then} block outside an {#await ...} block'
+				});
 			}
-
-			const then_block: TemplateNode = {
-				start,
-				end: null,
-				type: 'ThenBlock',
-				children: [],
-				skip: false
-			};
-
-			await_block.then = then_block;
-			parser.stack.push(then_block);
-		}
-	} else if (parser.eat(':catch')) {
-		const then_block = parser.current();
-		if (then_block.type === 'ThenBlock') {
-			then_block.end = start;
-			parser.stack.pop();
-			const await_block = parser.current();
-
-			if (!parser.eat('}')) {
-				parser.require_whitespace();
-				await_block.error = parser.read_identifier();
-				parser.allow_whitespace();
-				parser.eat('}', true);
+		} else {
+			if (block.type !== 'ThenBlock' && block.type !== 'PendingBlock') {
+				parser.error({
+					code: `invalid-catch-placement`,
+					message: 'Cannot have an {:catch} block outside an {#await ...} block'
+				});
 			}
+		}
 
-			const catch_block: TemplateNode = {
-				start,
-				end: null,
-				type: 'CatchBlock',
-				children: [],
-				skip: false
-			};
+		block.end = start;
+		parser.stack.pop();
+		const await_block = parser.current();
 
-			await_block.catch = catch_block;
-			parser.stack.push(catch_block);
+		if (!parser.eat('}')) {
+			parser.require_whitespace();
+			await_block[isThen ? 'value': 'error'] = parser.read_identifier();
+			parser.allow_whitespace();
+			parser.eat('}', true);
 		}
+
+		const new_block: TemplateNode = {
+			start,
+			end: null,
+			type: isThen ? 'ThenBlock': 'CatchBlock',
+			children: [],
+			skip: false
+		};
+
+		await_block[isThen ? 'then' : 'catch'] = new_block;
+		parser.stack.push(new_block);
 	} else if (parser.eat('#')) {
 		// {#if foo}, {#each foo} or {#await foo}
 		let type;
diff --git a/test/parser/samples/await-catch/input.svelte b/test/parser/samples/await-catch/input.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..207bacb5b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parser/samples/await-catch/input.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{#await thePromise}
+	<p>loading...</p>
+{:catch theError}
+	<p>oh no! {theError.message}</p>
+{/await}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/parser/samples/await-catch/output.json b/test/parser/samples/await-catch/output.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2461f467f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parser/samples/await-catch/output.json
@@ -0,0 +1,168 @@
+{
+	"html": {
+		"start": 0,
+		"end": 99,
+		"type": "Fragment",
+		"children": [
+			{
+				"start": 0,
+				"end": 99,
+				"type": "AwaitBlock",
+				"expression": {
+					"type": "Identifier",
+					"start": 8,
+					"end": 18,
+					"loc": {
+						"start": {
+							"line": 1,
+							"column": 8
+						},
+						"end": {
+							"line": 1,
+							"column": 18
+						}
+					},
+					"name": "thePromise"
+				},
+				"value": null,
+				"error": "theError",
+				"pending": {
+					"start": 19,
+					"end": 39,
+					"type": "PendingBlock",
+					"children": [
+						{
+							"start": 19,
+							"end": 21,
+							"type": "Text",
+							"raw": "\n\t",
+							"data": "\n\t"
+						},
+						{
+							"start": 21,
+							"end": 38,
+							"type": "Element",
+							"name": "p",
+							"attributes": [],
+							"children": [
+								{
+									"start": 24,
+									"end": 34,
+									"type": "Text",
+									"raw": "loading...",
+									"data": "loading..."
+								}
+							]
+						},
+						{
+							"start": 38,
+							"end": 39,
+							"type": "Text",
+							"raw": "\n",
+							"data": "\n"
+						}
+					],
+					"skip": false
+				},
+				"then": {
+					"start": null,
+					"end": null,
+					"type": "ThenBlock",
+					"children": [],
+					"skip": true
+				},
+				"catch": {
+					"start": 39,
+					"end": 91,
+					"type": "CatchBlock",
+					"children": [
+						{
+							"start": 56,
+							"end": 58,
+							"type": "Text",
+							"raw": "\n\t",
+							"data": "\n\t"
+						},
+						{
+							"start": 58,
+							"end": 90,
+							"type": "Element",
+							"name": "p",
+							"attributes": [],
+							"children": [
+								{
+									"start": 61,
+									"end": 68,
+									"type": "Text",
+									"raw": "oh no! ",
+									"data": "oh no! "
+								},
+								{
+									"start": 68,
+									"end": 86,
+									"type": "MustacheTag",
+									"expression": {
+										"type": "MemberExpression",
+										"start": 69,
+										"end": 85,
+										"loc": {
+											"start": {
+												"line": 4,
+												"column": 12
+											},
+											"end": {
+												"line": 4,
+												"column": 28
+											}
+										},
+										"object": {
+											"type": "Identifier",
+											"start": 69,
+											"end": 77,
+											"loc": {
+												"start": {
+													"line": 4,
+													"column": 12
+												},
+												"end": {
+													"line": 4,
+													"column": 20
+												}
+											},
+											"name": "theError"
+										},
+										"property": {
+											"type": "Identifier",
+											"start": 78,
+											"end": 85,
+											"loc": {
+												"start": {
+													"line": 4,
+													"column": 21
+												},
+												"end": {
+													"line": 4,
+													"column": 28
+												}
+											},
+											"name": "message"
+										},
+										"computed": false
+									}
+								}
+							]
+						},
+						{
+							"start": 90,
+							"end": 91,
+							"type": "Text",
+							"raw": "\n",
+							"data": "\n"
+						}
+					],
+					"skip": false
+				}
+			}
+		]
+	}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/parser/samples/error-catch-without-await/error.json b/test/parser/samples/error-catch-without-await/error.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..86cf64a673
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parser/samples/error-catch-without-await/error.json
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+{
+	"code": "invalid-catch-placement",
+	"message": "Cannot have an {:catch} block outside an {#await ...} block",
+	"start": {
+		"line": 1,
+		"column": 7,
+		"character": 7
+	},
+	"pos": 7
+}
diff --git a/test/parser/samples/error-catch-without-await/input.svelte b/test/parser/samples/error-catch-without-await/input.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ee2fab68e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parser/samples/error-catch-without-await/input.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{:catch theValue}
diff --git a/test/parser/samples/error-then-without-await/error.json b/test/parser/samples/error-then-without-await/error.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..62d9cbc3c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parser/samples/error-then-without-await/error.json
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+{
+	"code": "invalid-then-placement",
+	"message": "Cannot have an {:then} block outside an {#await ...} block",
+	"start": {
+		"line": 1,
+		"column": 6,
+		"character": 6
+	},
+	"pos": 6
+}
diff --git a/test/parser/samples/error-then-without-await/input.svelte b/test/parser/samples/error-then-without-await/input.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4b7fb6c677
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parser/samples/error-then-without-await/input.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{:then theValue}