I wish I were a newspaper

Wife talking to her husband (who reads newspaper all day): I wish I were a newspaper so I"ll be in your hands all day.

妻子和丈夫谈话，他一天到晚总是看报纸，妻子抱怨说：我要是报纸就好了，那样我就可以天天在你手里了。

Husband: I wish that too, so I could change you daily

丈夫说我也希望那样，那样我就可以每天换一个了。

I wish I were 虚拟语气，表示希望发生但不会发生的。

【用法说明】

动词wish后接宾语从句时，从句谓语要用虚拟语气。若要表示与现在事实相反的愿望，从句谓语用一般过去时或过去进行时；若表示与过去相反的愿望，从句谓语用过去完成时或would / could+have +过去分词；若表示将来没有把握或不太可能实现的愿望，用would (could)＋动词原形。如：

I wish I were not so busy. 但愿我不那样忙碌。

I wish I were [was] better looking. 要是我长得漂亮些就好了。

I wish it were spring all the year round. 
 但愿四季常春。

How can I climb up that wall! I wish I were a bird! 
 我怎么能够爬得上那堵墙?我要是一只鸟就好了!

I wish you were here so that I might thank you in person. 
 我真希望你在这里，好让我当面向你道谢

【注意】

从句的时态只与从句所指的时间有关，而与wish的时态无关，比较：

I wish I were rich. 要是我现在有钱就好了。

I wish I had been rich. 要是那时我有钱就好了。

I wished I were rich. 当时我后悔自己没有钱。

I wished I had been rich. 当时我后悔自己曾经没有钱。