[php] PDO error message?

Old thread, but maybe my answer will help someone. I resolved by executing the query first, then setting an errors variable, then checking if that errors variable array is empty. see simplified example:

$field1 = 'foo';
$field2 = 'bar';

$insert_QUERY = $db->prepare("INSERT INTO table bogus(field1, field2) VALUES (:field1, :field2)");
$insert_QUERY->bindParam(':field1', $field1);
$insert_QUERY->bindParam(':field2', $field2);

$insert_QUERY->execute();

$databaseErrors = $insert_QUERY->errorInfo();

if( !empty($databaseErrors) ){  
    $errorInfo = print_r($databaseErrors, true); # true flag returns val rather than print
    $errorLogMsg = "error info: $errorInfo"; # do what you wish with this var, write to log file etc...         

/* 
 $errorLogMsg will return something like: 
 error info:  
 Array(
  [0] => 42000
  [1] => 1064
  [2] => You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'table bogus(field1, field2) VALUES                                                  ('bar', NULL)' at line 1
 )
*/
} else {
    # no SQL errors.
}