An internal combustion engine (1) having at least two cylinders (4) or at least two groups (2, 3) of cylinders (4), of which at least one is electronically deactivatable, has at least one inlet strand (5, 6) and at least one outlet strand (7, 8). In order to improve the quality of the operating noise in the interior of a passenger cell, at least one inlet strand (5, 6) of at least one deactivated cylinder (4) can be acoustically connected via at least one sound conducting apparatus (21, 22) to an inner chamber (20) of a vehicle (19).