If wishes were horses...

"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

If turnips were watches, I'd wear one by my side.

If "if's" and "and's" were pots and pans,

There'd be no work for tinkers' hands."

(Traditional nursery rhyme)

We use the verb "wish" when we want something we can't have. At least for the moment. (here's a version of the nursery rhyme on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtzuVToJp4M )

Here's a good summary of all the ways you can use the word wish. As you can see, there are many. (Please check http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/towards-advanced/unit-23/session-1 for the whole lesson)



Also, remember we use "wish+were" in formal speech, not "Wish+was", which is very common but considered not standard (for more information, see https://ludwig.guru/blog/i-wish-i-was-vs-i-wish-i-were/ ) 

Here you have a song where you can see the use of wish. 

Wish + past tense




The prologue to the musical "Into the Woods" also has a lot of examples of how to use "wish". You can try to write down what each character wishes for. You will probably recognize them, as they all come from traditional fairy tales.



And if you watch the whole musical, you'll realize that wishing sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for...