A method for adapting a mixture for a pilot control process for setting a fuel/air mixture for operating an internal combustion engine. The method includes determining a current measuring point from an air and fuel quantity in which a predefined lambda is achieved, determining a current operating range in which the measuring point lies, determining a deviation of the measuring point from the operating point lying in the current operating range, determining a corrected operating point between the operating point and the measuring point, and determining corrected parameters of a parameterized relationship from the corrected operating point and the operating points and parameter values of the preceding adaptation step not lying in the current operating range, and permits adaptation of a mixture without separation of load/rotational speed ranges for adaptation of the offset and of the factor of the linear relationship of air quantity and fuel quantity.