A method for controlling, during temporary stoppage, a four-stroke combustion engine including a block delimiting cylinders which define combustion chambers equipped with pistons into which opens an intake pipe and an exhaust pipe, both provided with valves that can move between open and closed positions. The method involves detecting conditions of a temporary stoppage of the engine and commanding the exhaust valves to be kept in the closed position once the engine has gone through an intake phase during the last engine cycle prior to the stoppage.