addressed / mentioned
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to feel addressed
To have the feeling that a general statement, criticism, or question is directed personally at you.
Als die Lehrerin fragte, wer die Hausaufgaben nicht gemacht hat, fühlten sich gleich mehrere Schüler angesprochen.
When the teacher asked who had not done the homework, several students immediately felt addressed.
“Angesprochen” (addressed/mentioned) is the past participle of the separable verb “ansprechen” (to address; to bring up). The verb is made up of “an” and “sprechen” (to speak) and literally means to direct speaking toward someone or something.
Der Chef hat das Problem direkt angesprochen.
The boss addressed the problem directly.
You can easily recognize the meaning from the sentence structure. The phrase “sich angesprochen fühlen” (to feel addressed) refers to a personal feeling. If “angesprochen” (mentioned) comes directly before a noun, however, e.g. “das angesprochene Thema” (the mentioned topic), the intended meaning is “mentioned.”
Obwohl mein Name nicht fiel, habe ich mich sofort angesprochen gefühlt.
Although my name was not mentioned, I immediately felt addressed.
The phrase “sich angesprochen fühlen” (to feel addressed) is a fixed unit with a reflexive pronoun in the accusative. This pronoun changes according to the person: ich fühle mich, du fühlst dich, er fühlt sich angesprochen (I feel addressed, you feel addressed, he feels addressed).
Fühlst du dich von seiner Kritik persönlich angesprochen?
Do you feel personally addressed by his criticism?
mentioned / called
'genannt' and 'angesprochen' can both mean that a person or topic was mentioned in a text or conversation. 'genannt' is often used when something is listed by name or specified more precisely. 'angesprochen' fits better when a topic is dealt with in terms of content, or when someone is meant directly or indirectly. That is why 'angesprochen' can also appear in 'sich angesprochen fühlen' (to feel addressed): then someone feels that a statement concerns them personally. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with mentioning. For names and lists, 'genannt' is often more natural; for topics, problems, or being personally affected, 'angesprochen' is more likely.
Nach der Kritik fühlte sich Max angesprochen, obwohl niemand seinen Namen gesagt hatte.
After the criticism, Max felt addressed, even though no one had said his name.
Die im Vertrag genannte Adresse stimmt nicht mehr.
The address mentioned in the contract is no longer correct.