Abstract: An air flow in the combustion space which swirls or rotates about the cylinder longitudinal axis is produced for the fine distribution of the fuel by a correspondingly constructed inlet channel controlled by two inlet valves in a supercharged four-cycle internal combustion engine with direct fuel injection. With a low air mass flow, the rotary movement of the air in the combustion space is only weak and therefore prone to disturbance. An improvement is achieved by a change of the air flow in the inlet channel system. The valve actuation contains, for that purpose, an adjusting mechanism consisting of a piston-cylinder-unit fed with pressure oil, which effects in one operating function an automatic valve clearance compensation and which enables in a second operating function together with a controllable closure device in the pressure oil feed line a stoppage of one of the two inlet valves actuated in unison by the valve actuation.