diff --git a/odoo/addons/base/tests/test_orm.py b/odoo/addons/base/tests/test_orm.py
index c24758dc9bf..d9a358d3c1e 100644
--- a/odoo/addons/base/tests/test_orm.py
+++ b/odoo/addons/base/tests/test_orm.py
@@ -163,6 +163,25 @@ class TestORM(TransactionCase):
                                   ['date:month', 'date:day'], lazy=False)
         self.assertEqual(len(res), len(partner_ids))
 
+        # combine groupby and orderby
+        months = ['February 2013', 'January 2013', 'December 2012', 'November 2012']
+        res = partners.read_group([('id', 'in', partner_ids)], ['date'],
+                                  groupby=['date:month'], orderby='date:month DESC')
+        self.assertEqual([item['date:month'] for item in res], months)
+
+        # order by date should reorder by date:month
+        res = partners.read_group([('id', 'in', partner_ids)], ['date'],
+                                  groupby=['date:month'], orderby='date DESC')
+        self.assertEqual([item['date:month'] for item in res], months)
+
+        # order by date should reorder by date:day
+        days = ['11 Feb 2013', '28 Jan 2013', '14 Jan 2013', '07 Jan 2013',
+                '31 Dec 2012', '17 Dec 2012', '19 Nov 2012']
+        res = partners.read_group([('id', 'in', partner_ids)], ['date'],
+                                  groupby=['date:month', 'date:day'],
+                                  orderby='date DESC', lazy=False)
+        self.assertEqual([item['date:day'] for item in res], days)
+
     def test_write_duplicate(self):
         p1 = self.env['res.partner'].create({'name': 'W'})
         (p1 + p1).write({'name': 'X'})
diff --git a/odoo/models.py b/odoo/models.py
index a9670ca2257..fd0aa54b60f 100644
--- a/odoo/models.py
+++ b/odoo/models.py
@@ -1698,31 +1698,38 @@ class BaseModel(MetaModel('DummyModel', (object,), {'_register': False})):
         """
         orderby_terms = []
         groupby_terms = [gb['qualified_field'] for gb in annotated_groupbys]
-        groupby_fields = [gb['groupby'] for gb in annotated_groupbys]
         if not orderby:
             return groupby_terms, orderby_terms
 
         self._check_qorder(orderby)
+
+        # when a field is grouped as 'foo:bar', both orderby='foo' and
+        # orderby='foo:bar' generate the clause 'ORDER BY "foo:bar"'
+        groupby_fields = {
+            gb[key]: gb['groupby']
+            for gb in annotated_groupbys
+            for key in ('field', 'groupby')
+        }
         for order_part in orderby.split(','):
             order_split = order_part.split()
             order_field = order_split[0]
             if order_field == 'id' or order_field in groupby_fields:
-
                 if self._fields[order_field.split(':')[0]].type == 'many2one':
                     order_clause = self._generate_order_by(order_part, query).replace('ORDER BY ', '')
                     if order_clause:
                         orderby_terms.append(order_clause)
                         groupby_terms += [order_term.split()[0] for order_term in order_clause.split(',')]
                 else:
-                    order = '"%s" %s' % (order_field, '' if len(order_split) == 1 else order_split[1])
-                    orderby_terms.append(order)
+                    order_split[0] = '"%s"' % groupby_fields.get(order_field, order_field)
+                    orderby_terms.append(' '.join(order_split))
             elif order_field in aggregated_fields:
-                order_split[0] = '"' + order_field + '"'
+                order_split[0] = '"%s"' % order_field
                 orderby_terms.append(' '.join(order_split))
             else:
                 # Cannot order by a field that will not appear in the results (needs to be grouped or aggregated)
                 _logger.warn('%s: read_group order by `%s` ignored, cannot sort on empty columns (not grouped/aggregated)',
                              self._name, order_part)
+
         return groupby_terms, orderby_terms
 
     @api.model