The invention relates to the internal exhaust-gas recirculation in an internal combustion engine with gas exchange valves periodically controlled by a camshaft (22) in accordance with the four-stroke principle, in which, during the gas exchange exhausting of exhaust gas from the respective cylinder (1) into the exhaust duct (5), an intake valve (2) associated with the respective cylinder (1) is open in a crank angle range after top dead center of the ignition of the gas mixture present in the cylinder (1), in order to exhaust part of the exhaust gas into an intake duct (3), so that during the next gas exchange intake both fresh gas and exhaust gas are taken in from the intake duct (3), the respective intake valve (2) being actuated during the gas exchange exhausting independently of the periodic gas exchange intake, and the additional opening of the respective intake valve (2) being carried out in the range from 110 to 150% of the opening angle of the start of opening of the exhaust duct (5) by the exhaust valve (4).