diff --git a/lib/classes/Service.js b/lib/classes/Service.js
index 1a74555308d..d87ff5a1f74 100644
--- a/lib/classes/Service.js
+++ b/lib/classes/Service.js
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ class Service {
     this.serviceObject = null;
     this.provider = {
       stage: 'dev',
-      variableSyntax: '\\${([^{}]+?)}',
+      variableSyntax: '\\${([^{}:]+?(?:\\(|:)[^:{}][^{}]*?)}',
     };
     this.custom = {};
     this.plugins = [];
diff --git a/lib/classes/Variables.test.js b/lib/classes/Variables.test.js
index c2a380c776b..7eb09d04b42 100644
--- a/lib/classes/Variables.test.js
+++ b/lib/classes/Variables.test.js
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ const Utils = require('../../lib/classes/Utils');
 const Variables = require('../../lib/classes/Variables');
 const { getTmpDirPath } = require('../../test/utils/fs');
 const skipOnDisabledSymlinksInWindows = require('@serverless/test/skip-on-disabled-symlinks-in-windows');
+const runServerless = require('../../test/utils/run-serverless');
 
 BbPromise.longStackTraces(true);
 
@@ -2736,4 +2737,37 @@ module.exports = {
       expect(logWarningSpy.args[0][0]).to.contain('file');
     });
   });
+
+  describe('variable syntax', () => {
+    let processedConfig = null;
+    before(async () => {
+      const result = await runServerless({
+        fixture: 'variables',
+        cliArgs: ['print'],
+      });
+      processedConfig = result.serverless.service;
+    });
+
+    it('should support ${file(...)} syntax', () => {
+      expect(processedConfig.custom.importedFile).to.deep.equal({
+        foo: 'bar',
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should support ${file(...):key} syntax', () => {
+      expect(processedConfig.custom.importedFileWithKey).to.equal('bar');
+    });
+
+    it('should ignore native CloudFormation variables', () => {
+      expect(processedConfig.custom.awsVariable).to.equal('${AWS::Region}');
+    });
+
+    it('should ignore CloudFormation references', () => {
+      expect(processedConfig.custom.cloudFormationReference).to.equal('${AnotherResource}');
+    });
+
+    it('should support ${self:key} syntax', () => {
+      expect(processedConfig.custom.selfReference).to.equal('bar');
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/lib/plugins/print/print.test.js b/lib/plugins/print/print.test.js
index 917760b6ae0..9819ba371fb 100644
--- a/lib/plugins/print/print.test.js
+++ b/lib/plugins/print/print.test.js
@@ -326,38 +326,6 @@ describe('Print', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  it('should resolve self references', () => {
-    const conf = {
-      custom: {
-        me: '${self:}',
-      },
-      provider: {},
-    };
-    getServerlessConfigFileStub.resolves(conf);
-
-    serverless.processedInput = {
-      commands: ['print'],
-      options: {},
-    };
-
-    const expected = {
-      custom: {
-        me: {
-          $ref: '$',
-        },
-      },
-      provider: {},
-    };
-
-    return print.print().then(() => {
-      const message = print.serverless.cli.consoleLog.args.join();
-
-      expect(getServerlessConfigFileStub.calledOnce).to.equal(true);
-      expect(print.serverless.cli.consoleLog.called).to.be.equal(true);
-      expect(YAML.load(message)).to.eql(expected);
-    });
-  });
-
   describe('should resolve fallback', () => {
     [
       { value: 'hello_123@~:/+', description: 'ascii chars' },
diff --git a/test/fixtures/variables/config.json b/test/fixtures/variables/config.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c8c4105eb57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/variables/config.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "foo": "bar"
+}
diff --git a/test/fixtures/variables/serverless.yml b/test/fixtures/variables/serverless.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..dc34906a217
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/variables/serverless.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+service: service
+
+provider:
+  name: aws
+  runtime: nodejs12.x
+
+custom:
+  importedFile: ${file(config.json)}
+  importedFileWithKey: ${file(config.json):foo}
+  awsVariable: ${AWS::Region}
+  cloudFormationReference: ${AnotherResource}
+  selfReference: ${self:custom.importedFileWithKey}