diff --git a/lib/client.js b/lib/client.js
index 140f505b2..1aadac08f 100644
--- a/lib/client.js
+++ b/lib/client.js
@@ -53,6 +53,22 @@ var Client = function (config) {
 
 util.inherits(Client, EventEmitter)
 
+Client.prototype._errorAllQueries = function (err) {
+  const enqueueError = (query) => {
+    process.nextTick(() => {
+      query.handleError(err, this.connection)
+    })
+  }
+
+  if (this.activeQuery) {
+    enqueueError(this.activeQuery)
+    this.activeQuery = null
+  }
+
+  this.queryQueue.forEach(enqueueError)
+  this.queryQueue.length = 0
+}
+
 Client.prototype._connect = function (callback) {
   var self = this
   var con = this.connection
@@ -127,21 +143,7 @@ Client.prototype._connect = function (callback) {
 
   const connectedErrorHandler = (err) => {
     this._queryable = false
-
-    const enqueueError = (query) => {
-      process.nextTick(() => {
-        query.handleError(err, con)
-      })
-    }
-
-    if (this.activeQuery) {
-      enqueueError(this.activeQuery)
-      this.activeQuery = null
-    }
-
-    this.queryQueue.forEach(enqueueError)
-    this.queryQueue = []
-
+    this._errorAllQueries(err)
     this.emit('error', err)
   }
 
@@ -192,17 +194,17 @@ Client.prototype._connect = function (callback) {
   })
 
   con.once('end', () => {
-    if (this.activeQuery) {
-      var disconnectError = new Error('Connection terminated')
-      this.activeQuery.handleError(disconnectError, con)
-      this.activeQuery = null
-    }
+    const error = this._ending
+      ? new Error('Connection terminated')
+      : new Error('Connection terminated unexpectedly')
+
+    this._errorAllQueries(error)
+
     if (!this._ending) {
       // if the connection is ended without us calling .end()
       // on this client then we have an unexpected disconnection
       // treat this as an error unless we've already emitted an error
       // during connection.
-      const error = new Error('Connection terminated unexpectedly')
       if (this._connecting && !this._connectionError) {
         if (callback) {
           callback(error)
@@ -213,6 +215,7 @@ Client.prototype._connect = function (callback) {
         connectedErrorHandler(error)
       }
     }
+
     this.emit('end')
   })
 
diff --git a/lib/native/client.js b/lib/native/client.js
index bed548ad8..c9dca63c6 100644
--- a/lib/native/client.js
+++ b/lib/native/client.js
@@ -32,8 +32,10 @@ var Client = module.exports = function (config) {
   })
 
   this._queryQueue = []
-  this._connected = false
+  this._ending = false
   this._connecting = false
+  this._connected = false
+  this._queryable = true
 
   // keep these on the object for legacy reasons
   // for the time being. TODO: deprecate all this jazz
@@ -52,50 +54,48 @@ Client.Query = NativeQuery
 
 util.inherits(Client, EventEmitter)
 
+Client.prototype._errorAllQueries = function (err) {
+  const enqueueError = (query) => {
+    process.nextTick(() => {
+      query.native = this.native
+      query.handleError(err)
+    })
+  }
+
+  if (this._hasActiveQuery()) {
+    enqueueError(this._activeQuery)
+    this._activeQuery = null
+  }
+
+  this._queryQueue.forEach(enqueueError)
+  this._queryQueue.length = 0
+}
+
 // connect to the backend
 // pass an optional callback to be called once connected
 // or with an error if there was a connection error
-// if no callback is passed and there is a connection error
-// the client will emit an error event.
-Client.prototype.connect = function (cb) {
+Client.prototype._connect = function (cb) {
   var self = this
 
-  var onError = function (err) {
-    if (cb) return cb(err)
-    return self.emit('error', err)
-  }
-
-  var result
-  if (!cb) {
-    var resolveOut, rejectOut
-    cb = (err) => err ? rejectOut(err) : resolveOut()
-    result = new global.Promise(function (resolve, reject) {
-      resolveOut = resolve
-      rejectOut = reject
-    })
-  }
-
   if (this._connecting) {
     process.nextTick(() => cb(new Error('Client has already been connected. You cannot reuse a client.')))
-    return result
+    return
   }
 
   this._connecting = true
 
   this.connectionParameters.getLibpqConnectionString(function (err, conString) {
-    if (err) return onError(err)
+    if (err) return cb(err)
     self.native.connect(conString, function (err) {
-      if (err) return onError(err)
+      if (err) return cb(err)
 
       // set internal states to connected
       self._connected = true
 
       // handle connection errors from the native layer
       self.native.on('error', function (err) {
-        // error will be handled by active query
-        if (self._activeQuery && self._activeQuery.state !== 'end') {
-          return
-        }
+        self._queryable = false
+        self._errorAllQueries(err)
         self.emit('error', err)
       })
 
@@ -110,12 +110,26 @@ Client.prototype.connect = function (cb) {
       self.emit('connect')
       self._pulseQueryQueue(true)
 
-      // possibly call the optional callback
-      if (cb) cb()
+      cb()
     })
   })
+}
 
-  return result
+Client.prototype.connect = function (callback) {
+  if (callback) {
+    this._connect(callback)
+    return
+  }
+
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    this._connect((error) => {
+      if (error) {
+        reject(error)
+      } else {
+        resolve()
+      }
+    })
+  })
 }
 
 // send a query to the server
@@ -129,26 +143,43 @@ Client.prototype.connect = function (cb) {
 //    optional string rowMode = 'array' for an array of results
 //  }
 Client.prototype.query = function (config, values, callback) {
+  var query
+  var result
+
   if (typeof config.submit === 'function') {
+    result = query = config
     // accept query(new Query(...), (err, res) => { }) style
     if (typeof values === 'function') {
       config.callback = values
     }
-    this._queryQueue.push(config)
-    this._pulseQueryQueue()
-    return config
+  } else {
+    query = new NativeQuery(config, values, callback)
+    if (!query.callback) {
+      let resolveOut, rejectOut
+      result = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+        resolveOut = resolve
+        rejectOut = reject
+      })
+      query.callback = (err, res) => err ? rejectOut(err) : resolveOut(res)
+    }
   }
 
-  var query = new NativeQuery(config, values, callback)
-  var result
-  if (!query.callback) {
-    let resolveOut, rejectOut
-    result = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-      resolveOut = resolve
-      rejectOut = reject
+  if (!this._queryable) {
+    query.native = this.native
+    process.nextTick(() => {
+      query.handleError(new Error('Client has encountered a connection error and is not queryable'))
+    })
+    return result
+  }
+
+  if (this._ending) {
+    query.native = this.native
+    process.nextTick(() => {
+      query.handleError(new Error('Client was closed and is not queryable'))
     })
-    query.callback = (err, res) => err ? rejectOut(err) : resolveOut(res)
+    return result
   }
+
   this._queryQueue.push(query)
   this._pulseQueryQueue()
   return result
@@ -157,6 +188,9 @@ Client.prototype.query = function (config, values, callback) {
 // disconnect from the backend server
 Client.prototype.end = function (cb) {
   var self = this
+
+  this._ending = true
+
   if (!this._connected) {
     this.once('connect', this.end.bind(this, cb))
   }
@@ -170,12 +204,7 @@ Client.prototype.end = function (cb) {
     })
   }
   this.native.end(function () {
-    // send an error to the active query
-    if (self._hasActiveQuery()) {
-      var msg = 'Connection terminated'
-      self._queryQueue.length = 0
-      self._activeQuery.handleError(new Error(msg))
-    }
+    self._errorAllQueries(new Error('Connection terminated'))
     self.emit('end')
     if (cb) cb()
   })
diff --git a/test/integration/client/error-handling-tests.js b/test/integration/client/error-handling-tests.js
index 97b0ce83f..3d4679db9 100644
--- a/test/integration/client/error-handling-tests.js
+++ b/test/integration/client/error-handling-tests.js
@@ -73,12 +73,9 @@ suite.test('query receives error on client shutdown', function (done) {
     client.query(new pg.Query(config), assert.calls(function (err, res) {
       assert(err instanceof Error)
       queryError = err
+      done()
     }))
     setTimeout(() => client.end(), 50)
-    client.once('end', () => {
-      assert(queryError instanceof Error)
-      done()
-    })
   }))
 })
 
diff --git a/test/integration/connection-pool/error-tests.js b/test/integration/connection-pool/error-tests.js
index 4d7bb9c1f..30745473e 100644
--- a/test/integration/connection-pool/error-tests.js
+++ b/test/integration/connection-pool/error-tests.js
@@ -52,7 +52,11 @@ suite.test('connection-level errors cause queued queries to fail', (cb) => {
   const pool = new pg.Pool()
   pool.connect(assert.success((client, done) => {
     client.query('SELECT pg_terminate_backend(pg_backend_pid())', assert.calls((err) => {
-      assert.equal(err.code, '57P01')
+      if (helper.args.native) {
+        assert.ok(err)
+      } else {
+        assert.equal(err.code, '57P01')
+      }
     }))
 
     pool.once('error', assert.calls((err, brokenClient) => {
@@ -60,7 +64,11 @@ suite.test('connection-level errors cause queued queries to fail', (cb) => {
     }))
 
     client.query('SELECT 1', assert.calls((err) => {
-      assert.equal(err.message, 'Connection terminated unexpectedly')
+      if (helper.args.native) {
+        assert.ok(/^server closed the connection unexpectedly/.test(err.message))
+      } else {
+        assert.equal(err.message, 'Connection terminated unexpectedly')
+      }
 
       done()
       pool.end()
@@ -73,7 +81,11 @@ suite.test('connection-level errors cause future queries to fail', (cb) => {
   const pool = new pg.Pool()
   pool.connect(assert.success((client, done) => {
     client.query('SELECT pg_terminate_backend(pg_backend_pid())', assert.calls((err) => {
-      assert.equal(err.code, '57P01')
+      if (helper.args.native) {
+        assert.ok(err)
+      } else {
+        assert.equal(err.code, '57P01')
+      }
     }))
 
     pool.once('error', assert.calls((err, brokenClient) => {