diff --git a/includes/database/query.inc b/includes/database/query.inc
index 993275749bc74437a35a6667ad96ce4895aff49b..9205fe4a2f6eecef36ef8fdd16f65effbc28352a 100644
--- a/includes/database/query.inc
+++ b/includes/database/query.inc
@@ -925,6 +925,7 @@ public function __toString() {
     $query = 'DELETE FROM {' . $this->connection->escapeTable($this->table) . '} ';
 
     if (count($this->condition)) {
+
       $this->condition->compile($this->connection, $this);
       $query .= "\nWHERE " . $this->condition;
     }
@@ -1234,6 +1235,8 @@ public function compile(DatabaseConnection $connection, QueryPlaceholderInterfac
         }
         else {
           // It's a structured condition, so parse it out accordingly.
+          // Note that $condition['field'] will only be an object for a dependent
+          // DatabaseCondition object, not for a dependent subquery.
           if ($condition['field'] instanceof QueryConditionInterface) {
             // Compile the sub-condition recursively and add it to the list.
             $condition['field']->compile($connection, $queryPlaceholder);
@@ -1257,7 +1260,8 @@ public function compile(DatabaseConnection $connection, QueryPlaceholderInterfac
             $operator += $operator_defaults;
 
             $placeholders = array();
-            if ($condition['value'] instanceof SelectQuery) {
+            if ($condition['value'] instanceof SelectQueryInterface) {
+              $condition['value']->compile($connection, $queryPlaceholder);
               $placeholders[] = (string)$condition['value'];
               $arguments += $condition['value']->arguments();
             }
@@ -1275,7 +1279,6 @@ public function compile(DatabaseConnection $connection, QueryPlaceholderInterfac
               }
             }
             $condition_fragments[] = ' (' . $condition['field'] . ' ' . $operator['operator'] . ' ' . $operator['prefix'] . implode($operator['delimiter'], $placeholders) . $operator['postfix'] . ') ';
-
           }
         }
       }
diff --git a/modules/simpletest/tests/database_test.test b/modules/simpletest/tests/database_test.test
index 8970224c420e6dd24eee176bad7f50e65ce94fc3..43f97d2919a706294eec798a39f933d19824fcc4 100644
--- a/modules/simpletest/tests/database_test.test
+++ b/modules/simpletest/tests/database_test.test
@@ -944,6 +944,27 @@ class DatabaseDeleteTruncateTestCase extends DatabaseTestCase {
     );
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Confirm that we can use a subselect in a delete successfully.
+   */
+  function testSubselectDelete() {
+    $num_records_before = db_query('SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {test_task}')->fetchField();
+    $pid_to_delete = db_query("SELECT * FROM {test_task} WHERE task = 'sleep'")->fetchField();
+
+    $subquery = db_select('test', 't')
+      ->fields('t', array('id'))
+      ->condition('t.id', array($pid_to_delete), 'IN');
+    $delete = db_delete('test_task')
+      ->condition('task', 'sleep')
+      ->condition('pid', $subquery, 'IN');
+
+    $num_deleted = $delete->execute();
+    $this->assertEqual($num_deleted, 1, t("Deleted 1 record."));
+
+    $num_records_after = db_query('SELECT COUNT(*) FROM {test_task}')->fetchField();
+    $this->assertEqual($num_records_before, $num_records_after + $num_deleted, t('Deletion adds up.'));
+  }
+
   /**
    * Confirm that we can delete a single record successfully.
    */