diff --git a/go/types/conversions.go b/go/types/conversions.go
index 3675c143..6d999df2 100644
--- a/go/types/conversions.go
+++ b/go/types/conversions.go
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ import (
 // x is marked as invalid (x.mode == invalid).
 //
 func (check *checker) conversion(x *operand, conv *ast.CallExpr, typ Type) {
+	var final Type // declare before gotos
+
 	// all conversions have one argument
 	if len(conv.Args) != 1 {
 		check.invalidOp(conv.Pos(), "%s conversion requires exactly one argument", conv)
@@ -62,9 +64,20 @@ func (check *checker) conversion(x *operand, conv *ast.CallExpr, typ Type) {
 		x.mode = value
 	}
 
-	// the conversion argument types are final; for now we just use x.typ
-	// TODO(gri) Fix this. For untyped constants, the type should be typ.
-	check.updateExprType(x.expr, x.typ, true)
+	// The conversion argument types are final. For untyped values the
+	// conversion provides the type, per the spec: "A constant may be
+	// given a type explicitly by a constant declaration or conversion,...".
+	final = x.typ
+	if isUntyped(final) {
+		final = typ
+		// For conversions to interfaces, use the argument type's
+		// default type instead. Keep untyped nil for untyped nil
+		// arguments.
+		if _, ok := typ.Underlying().(*Interface); ok {
+			final = defaultType(x.typ)
+		}
+	}
+	check.updateExprType(x.expr, final, true)
 
 	check.conversions[conv] = true // for cap/len checking
 	x.expr = conv
diff --git a/go/types/issues_test.go b/go/types/issues_test.go
index 21682358..71a8326b 100644
--- a/go/types/issues_test.go
+++ b/go/types/issues_test.go
@@ -7,9 +7,12 @@
 package types
 
 import (
+	"go/ast"
 	"go/parser"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
+
+	"code.google.com/p/go.tools/go/exact"
 )
 
 func TestIssue5770(t *testing.T) {
@@ -26,3 +29,55 @@ func TestIssue5770(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("got: %v; want: %s", err, want)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestIssue5849(t *testing.T) {
+	src := `
+package p
+var (
+	s uint
+	_ = uint8(8)
+	_ = uint16(16) << s
+	_ = uint32(32 << s)
+	_ = uint64(64 << s + s)
+	_ = (interface{})("foo")
+	_ = (interface{})(nil)
+)`
+	f, err := parser.ParseFile(fset, "", src, 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	ctxt := Context{
+		Expr: func(x ast.Expr, typ Type, val exact.Value) {
+			var want Type
+			switch x := x.(type) {
+			case *ast.BasicLit:
+				switch x.Value {
+				case `8`:
+					want = Typ[Uint8]
+				case `16`:
+					want = Typ[Uint16]
+				case `32`:
+					want = Typ[Uint32]
+				case `64`:
+					want = Typ[Uint] // because of "+ s", s is of type uint
+				case `"foo"`:
+					want = Typ[String]
+				}
+			case *ast.Ident:
+				if x.Name == "nil" {
+					want = Typ[UntypedNil]
+				}
+			}
+			if want != nil && !IsIdentical(typ, want) {
+				t.Errorf("got %s; want %s", typ, want)
+			}
+		},
+	}
+
+	_, err = ctxt.Check(f.Name.Name, fset, f)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/go/types/predicates.go b/go/types/predicates.go
index b86f1f42..ffdcb926 100644
--- a/go/types/predicates.go
+++ b/go/types/predicates.go
@@ -247,16 +247,13 @@ func identicalMethods(a, b []*Func) bool {
 }
 
 // defaultType returns the default "typed" type for an "untyped" type;
-// it returns the incoming type for all other types. If there is no
-// corresponding untyped type, the result is Typ[Invalid].
+// it returns the incoming type for all other types. The default type
+// for untyped nil is untyped nil.
 //
 func defaultType(typ Type) Type {
 	if t, ok := typ.(*Basic); ok {
-		k := Invalid
+		k := t.kind
 		switch t.kind {
-		// case UntypedNil:
-		//      There is no default type for nil. For a good error message,
-		//      catch this case before calling this function.
 		case UntypedBool:
 			k = Bool
 		case UntypedInt:
diff --git a/go/types/testdata/shifts.src b/go/types/testdata/shifts.src
index c6d49e18..7389fc22 100644
--- a/go/types/testdata/shifts.src
+++ b/go/types/testdata/shifts.src
@@ -143,13 +143,13 @@ func shifts6() {
 
 	_ = make([]int, 1.0)
 	_ = make([]int, 1.0<<s)
-	_ = make([]int, 1.1 /* ERROR "integer" */ <<s)
+	_ = make([]int, 1.1 /* ERROR "must be integer" */ <<s)
 
 	_ = float32(1)
-	_ = float32(1<<s)
+	_ = float32(1 /* ERROR "must be integer" */ <<s)
 	_ = float32(1.0)
-	_ = float32(1.0 /* ERROR "int" */ <<s)
-	_ = float32(1.1 /* ERROR "int" */ <<s)
+	_ = float32(1.0 /* ERROR "must be integer" */ <<s)
+	_ = float32(1.1 /* ERROR "must be integer" */ <<s)
 
 	var b []int
 	_ = append(b, 1<<s)