An internal combustion engine includes a plurality of cylinders, into whose combustion chambers the fuel is introduced individually for each cylinder. It is proposed that, during a time period a setpoint fuel quantity is varied individually for each cylinder in such a way that the average formed over the time period equals, at least approximately, a normal setpoint fuel quantity which would have to be injected without the above-mentioned variation for inducing or maintaining a setpoint operating state of the internal combustion engine.