In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 21 in the category of PAST is defined as:
past simple with ‘wish (that)’ to express regret that things are not different.
TLC STUDENT SPEAKING TEST EXAMPLE:
I listen to music a lot and sometimes I wish that my life was a musical.
male Spain C2
EXPERT EXAMPLES:
There were many moments growing up where I wished that I was white.
*Note that past perfect is also possible with this structure:
At that time, I wished I had lost weight that I had gained every day.
PELIC STUDENT: Korean female level 5 grammar class
A search in iWeb for:
_P wish that _P _VV
1 I WISH THAT I KNEW 69
2 I WISH THAT I LIVED 13
3 I WISH THAT IT CAME 11
4 I WISH THAT THEY MADE 10
5 I WISH THAT WE LIVED 10
_P wish _P _VV
1 I WISH I KNEW 5603
2 I WISH I LIVED 654
3 YOU WISH YOU KNEW 576
4 I WISH THEY MADE 460
5 I WISH IT CAME 428
6 I WISH I GOT 306
7 I WISH YOU CONTINUED 251
8 I WISH I WOULDVE 232
9 I WISH I FOUND 228
10 I WISH THEY CAME 209
11 I WISH I SAW 183
12 I WISH I TOOK 182
13 I WISH WE LIVED 169
14 I WISH I READ 162
15 I WISH I REMEMBERED 162
16 I WISH I UNDERSTOOD 160
17 I WISH I COULDVE 147
18 I WISH I BOUGHT 135
19 I WISH WE KNEW 133
20 I WISH I MADE 121
21 I WISH I LOOKED 111
22 I WISH THEY OFFERED 109
23 WE WISH WE KNEW 108
24 I WISH THEY SOLD 107
25 I WISH I WENT 106
26 I WISH YOU LOVE 106
27 I WISH IT WORKED 104
28 I WISH YOU LIVED 102
29 I WISH SOMEONE TOLD 101
30 I WISH WE GOT 100
31 I WISH I OWNED 97
32 WE WISH YOU CONTINUED 97
33 I WISH I STARTED 95
34 I WISH I FELT 93
35 I WISH I THOUGHT 91
36 I WISH I LIKED 90
37 I WISH YOU KNEW 88
38 ME WISH I LIVED 71
39 THEY WISH THEY KNEW 67
40 I WISH I CAME 63
41 I WISH I KEPT 61
42 I WISH I KNOW 56
43 I WISH I WORKED 55
44 YOU WISH YOU OWNED 51
45 YOU WISH YOU LIVED 49
46 I WISH I WISH 45
47 I WISH I DISCOVERED 42
48 I WISH I SPENT 42
49 I WISH WE SAW 42
50 I WISH I LEARNED 41
A2:
kept, offered, sold, someone, spent, wish
B1:
continued, discovered, owned