It happens when building from a bootstrapped git checkout, with the latest master v8.21-40-g090294b).
This is the exact error: $ (cd gnulib-tests && make check) ... make[3]: Entering directory `/storage/home/stefano/src/gnu/coreutils/gnulib-tests' CC localename.o cc1: error: ../intl: No such file or directory [-Werror] cc1: all warnings being treated as errors make[3]: *** [localename.o] Error 1 Some details that might be helpful: $ (cd gnulib-tests && make check V=1) ... make[3]: Entering directory `/storage/home/stefano/src/gnu/coreutils/gnulib-tests' depbase=`echo localename.o | sed 's|[^/]*$|.deps/&|;s|\.o$||'`;\ gcc -std=gnu99 -I. -I../lib -DIN_COREUTILS_GNULIB_TESTS=1 \ -I. -I. -I.. -I./.. -I../lib -I./../lib -I../intl \ -W \ -Wabi \ -Waddress \ -Wall \ -Warray-bounds \ -Wattributes \ -Wbad-function-cast \ -Wbuiltin-macro-redefined \ -Wcast-align \ -Wchar-subscripts \ -Wclobbered \ -Wcomment \ -Wcomments \ -Wcoverage-mismatch \ -Wcpp \ -Wdeprecated \ -Wdeprecated-declarations \ -Wdisabled-optimization \ -Wdiv-by-zero \ -Wempty-body \ -Wendif-labels \ -Wenum-compare \ -Wextra \ -Wformat-contains-nul \ -Wformat-extra-args \ -Wformat-security \ -Wformat-y2k \ -Wformat-zero-length \ -Wformat=2 \ -Wfree-nonheap-object \ -Wignored-qualifiers \ -Wimplicit \ -Wimplicit-function-declaration \ -Wimplicit-int \ -Winit-self \ -Wint-to-pointer-cast \ -Winvalid-memory-model \ -Winvalid-pch \ -Wjump-misses-init \ -Wmain \ -Wmaybe-uninitialized \ -Wmissing-braces \ -Wmissing-declarations \ -Wmissing-field-initializers \ -Wmissing-include-dirs \ -Wmissing-noreturn \ -Wmissing-parameter-type \ -Wmudflap \ -Wmultichar \ -Wnarrowing \ -Wnonnull \ -Wnormalized=nfc \ -Wold-style-declaration \ -Woverflow \ -Woverlength-strings \ -Woverride-init \ -Wpacked \ -Wpacked-bitfield-compat \ -Wparentheses \ -Wpointer-arith \ -Wpointer-sign \ -Wpointer-to-int-cast \ -Wpragmas \ -Wreturn-type \ -Wsequence-point \ -Wshadow \ -Wstrict-aliasing \ -Wsuggest-attribute=noreturn \ -Wswitch \ -Wsync-nand \ -Wtrampolines \ -Wtrigraphs \ -Wtype-limits \ -Wunknown-pragmas \ -Wunused \ -Wunused-but-set-parameter \ -Wunused-but-set-variable \ -Wunused-function \ -Wunused-label \ -Wunused-local-typedefs \ -Wunused-parameter \ -Wunused-result \ -Wunused-value \ -Wunused-variable \ -Wvariadic-macros \ -Wvector-operation-performance \ -Wvolatile-register-var \ -Wwrite-strings \ -Wno-sign-compare \ -Wno-unused-parameter \ -Wsuggest-attribute=noreturn \ -Wno-format-nonliteral \ -Wno-logical-op -fdiagnostics-show-option -funit-at-a-time \ -Werror -g -O2 -MT localename.o -MD -MP -MF $depbase.Tpo -c -o localename.o localename.c &&\ mv -f $depbase.Tpo $depbase.Po cc1: error: ../intl: No such file or directory [-Werror] cc1: all warnings being treated as errors make[3]: *** [localename.o] Error 1 make[3]: Leaving directory `/storage/home/stefano/src/gnu/coreutils/gnulib-tests' make[2]: *** [check-am] Error 2 make[2]: Leaving directory `/storage/home/stefano/src/gnu/coreutils/gnulib-tests' make[1]: *** [check-recursive] Error 1 make[1]: Leaving directory `/storage/home/stefano/src/gnu/coreutils/gnulib-tests' make: *** [check] Error 2 $ gcc --version gcc (Debian 4.7.2-5) 4.7.2 Copyright (C) 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc. This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Let me know if you need more information, Stefano