He loves me... he loves me not

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not. Giacomo Di Chirico, 1872

He loves me, he loves me not or She loves me, she loves me not (originally effeuiller la marguerite in French) is a game of French origin, in which one person seeks to determine whether the object of their affection returns that affection or not.

A person playing the game alternately speaks the phrases "He (or she) loves me," and "He loves me not," while picking one petal off a flower (usually an oxeye daisy) for each phrase. The phrase they speak on picking off the last petal supposedly represents the truth between the object of their affection loving them or not. The player typically is motivated by attraction to the person they are speaking of while reciting the phrases. They may seek to reaffirm a pre-existing belief, or act out of whimsy.

A humorous twist on the game is "She loves me, she loves me lots."

This fortune-telling is shown as a pantomime in the 1st act of Giselle, ballet by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot (Paris, 1841).

Other languages

• Arabic: "يحبني...لا يحبني" Yuḥabbunī... lā yuḥabbunī (translates to "He loves me...he loves me not") "تحبني...لا تحبني" Tuḥabbunī... lā tuḥabbunī (translates to "She loves me...she loves me not")
• Armenian: «Սիրում է, չի սիրում» [siroom é, chi siroom] (translates to "Loves... doesn't love" (gender-neutral))
• Bulgarian: "Обича ме... не ме обича" [Obicha me... ne me obicha] (translates to "loves me... doesn't love me")
• Catalan: "M'estima... no m'estima" (translates to "he/she loves me... doesn't love me")
• Chinese: "他/她爱(愛)我...他/她不爱(愛)我" (translates to "He/She loves me... He/She loves me not")
• Czech: "Má mě rád(a)... nemá mě rád(a)" (translates to "He/She likes me... He/She likes me not")
• Danish: "Han/hun elsker mig... han/hun elsker mig ikke" (translates to "he/she loves me... he/she doesn't love me")
• Dutch: "Hij/zij houdt van me, hij/zij houdt niet van me" (translates to "He/she loves me, he/she loves me not")
• Esperanto: "Li/Ŝi amas min... Li/Ŝi ne amas min" (translates to "He/She loves me...He/she loves me not)
• Estonia: "Armastab... ei armasta" (translates to "loves... doesn't love)
• Finnish: "Rakastaa...ei rakasta" (translates to "loves... doesn't love")
• French: "Il/Elle m'aime un peu, beaucoup, passionnément, à la folie, pas du tout" (translates to "He/She loves me a little, a lot, passionately, madly, not at all"). This makes the potential outcomes more numerous.
• Georgian: "ვუყვარვარ... არ ვუყვარვარ..." (translates to "he/she loves me... he/she loves me not")
• German: "Er/sie liebt mich... Er/sie liebt mich nicht" (translates to "he/she loves me... he/she loves me not")

The Decision of the Flower (1820)

This 1904 cartoon by Bob Satterfield depicts the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan using the game to decide whether to go to war with each other.

• Greek: "Μ’ αγαπά... δε μ’ αγαπά" (translates to "he/she loves me... he/she loves me not")
• Hebrew: "אוהב/ת...לא אוהב/ת" (translates to "Loves... doesn't love")
• Hungarian: "Szeret... nem szeret" (translates to "he/she loves me... doesn't love me")
• Italian: "M'ama... non m'ama" (translates to "he/she loves me... doesn't love me")
• Japanese: "好き。。。嫌い" (すき。。。 きらい) (Suki... kirai) (translates to "like... hate")
• Kurdish: "Ew ji min hez dike... ew ji min hez nake" (translates to "He/She loves me... He/She loves me not")
• Latvian: "Mīl... nemīl" (translates to "Loves... doesn't love")
• Lithuanian: "Myli... nemyli" (translates to "Loves... doesn't love")
• Mongolian: "Хайртай... Хайргүй" (translates to "Loves... doesn't love")
• Norwegian: "Elsker... elsker ikke" (translates to "Loves... doesn't love")
• Polish: "Kocha... nie kocha" (translates to "he/she loves me... he/she loves me not"). Alternatively: "Kocha... lubi... szanuje... nie chce... nie dba... żartuje... w myśli... w mowie... w sercu... na ślubnym kobiercu" (translates to "he/she loves me... he/she likes me... he/she respects me... he/she doesn't want me... he/she doesn't care... he/she makes fun of me... in her/his mind... in his/her speech... in his/her heart... at the wedding carpet")
• Portuguese: "Bem me quer... mal me quer" (translates to "he/she loves me... detests me"; "querer" means to want, but "querer bem" means to love)
• Romanian: "Mă iubeşte....nu mă iubeşte" (translates to "he/she loves me... he/she loves me not")
• Russian: "Любит, не любит, плюнет, поцелует, к сердцу прижмет, к черту пошлет" (translates to "he/she loves me, loves me not, spits [at me], kisses [me], presses [me] to his/her heart, curses [me] (lit. "sends [me] to the devil")")
• Serbian: "Воли ме... не воли ме" (translates to "(he/she) loves me... loves me not")
• Slovak: "Ľúbi ma..... neľúbi ma" (translates to "Loves me... loves me not")
• Slovenian: "Ljubi me... Ne ljubi me" (translates to "Loves me... loves me not")
• Spanish: "Me quiere... no me quiere", "Me ama... no me ama" (both translate to he/she loves me... doesn't love me)
• Spanish (in Latin America): "Me quiere mucho... poquito... nada" (translates to "Loves me a lot... loves me a little... loves me not")
• Swedish: "Älskar... älskar inte" (translates to "Loves... doesn't love")
• Turkish: "Seviyor... Sevmiyor" (translates to "he/she loves me... doesn't love me")
• Vietnamese: "Yêu..., không yêu" (translates to "loves... doesn't love")

References

• The French at Home: A Nation's Character, Culture and Genius as Observed by an American Diplomat, Albert Rhodes, 1875 (republished 2005)
• effeuiller la marguerite - Cambridge French-English Thesaurus by Marie-Noëlle Lamy, Richard Towell, 1998
• effeuiller la marguerite - Webster's New World Concise French Dictionary
• Book references (English language search on Google Books)
• Book references (French language search on Google Books)

External links