debemos o tenemos que ?

Question

¿Cual es la diferencía entre debemos y tenemos que?

Which would you use in the following sentence ? We must fight our enemies in order to gain our freedom!

Answer 1

I agree with Q, that either would work here.

I first learned these two in this sense:

Must, as in "have to" = tener qué.

Must, as in "should" = deber

I've seen various opinions here and there, but in the end I think the way I first learned it is pretty much it.

Deber means primarily "to owe", and expresses duty and moral obligation, which is something that is certainly true in regard to defense of one's country.

Tener qué is something that one must do because one has no choice in the matter. That fits too.

Answer 2

I think both would be synonymous in this context.

However, from a personal viewpoint, debemos says to me that we "must" do something.

Tenemos or to have to throws the emphasis on what we have to do. We have to fight.